Eli Loker, PI
by Yesm777
Summary: Loker decides to help his old college buddies investigate a crime--without Lightman knowing. When the situation is deeper than he ever expected it to be, things start to go wrong...VERY wrong. Warning: Eli abuse, as is my pattern.
1. The Gift, and Curse, of Friends

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing involved with the television series "Lie to Me" and I won't pretend to._**

_Author's Note: Woah, guys. I literally just finished up my last fanfic today and here I am starting a new one. O_O I either have no life, or I just write too much... Anyway, here's the first chapter; hope you enjoy! Oh, and please review! Please, oh please, oh please! .  
_

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**1. The Gift, and Curse, of Friends**

"Another finished case, just for you, Lightman." Eli sighed, slapping the folder on Cal's desk. Cal peered up from a book he was reading, almost looking like he was staring at something he couldn't quite understand. Eli squirmed under his boss's gaze. Sure, he was an oddity with his personality and radical honesty, but he wasn't _that_ strange, right?

"Uh, right, good." Cal replied, returning to his book. Eli wasn't really sure if he was dismissed or not, so he lingered in front of the desk for awhile.

"Loker?" said a female voice behind him. He turned his head to see the secretary peeking her head in. Cal also glanced up to observe the situation.

"Yeah?"

"There are three men here to see you." she informed him, then abandoned the doorframe to return to her desk. Eli turned to his boss, who was looking at him with that "what _are_ you?" sort of look again. Loker shrugged and raised his eyebrows, as though he had to tell Lightman that he didn't know what was going on.

"Right...I'll see you later." Eli said in farewell and left the office. He could hear Lightman following behind and it didn't surprise him. Cal was a curious guy and he wasn't afraid to let people know it.

Eli sighed as he turned the corner, looking at the floor. He shifted his gaze upwards and immediately stopped amid his shuffle, a delayed grin spreading over his face. Lightman watched behind him as Loker stared happily at the three men by the front desk. It was obvious Eli knew them.

"What do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" Loker chuckled as the boys collided together in a tight group hug.

"Did you get skinnier?" one of the guys inquired, looking Loker up and down as they broke their embrace. "How could you possibly get skinnier than when you were in college?"

"College was the pits, man. All we ate was instant noodles." laughed another. Cal cocked his head to the side as he studied this reunion Loker was having. Close friends?

"Oh, uh, Lightman, these are my old college buddies." Eli confessed, gesturing to the three guys before the British man. "Guys, this is my boss, Dr. Lightman."

"Nice to meet you." said one boy with a nod. Cal continued to stare at them with the look that made Eli uncomfortable.

"Does he always stare at you like that?" the light brown-haired man whispered to Eli. Eli sighed as he smirked.

"Yeah, basically." he muttered. "Why don't we go somewhere...more private?" Eli led the small team of buddies into the conference room and closed the door behind him. Lightman was still standing in the same spot, staring after them with a curious look on his face. Loker snickered as he watched Gillian come up behind his boss and start talking to him, which resulted in Cal's response and pointing in the general direction of Loker and his pals.

"He's kinda quirky." the blonde, Evin, said, still peering out of the glass at Cal with his bright blue eyes.

"Like you should talk..." Josh snorted, sweeping his light brunette waves from his face to reveal chocolaty brown eyes.

"What are you guys doing here?" Eli asked with a smile as he sat down in one of the chairs. He hadn't seen his friends since they graduated college and he'd been too busy at The Lightman Group to regularly pick up the phone for a chat.

"Aw, dude, hecka long story." Evin sighed, shaking his head.

"I mean, it wasn't, but...then it was, and...you know, now it is." Dave explained. He was the pal that Eli was never really sure if he was on drugs or if he simply acted that way when he was sober.

"But, to sum it all up, we were coming down to see you when a whole lot of crap happened." Josh stated, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "So, now we're here to ask for your help too."

"Help? What kind of help?" Loker inquired, instantly concerned. The last time Josh asked for help, he owed someone a whopping five thousand dollars through a strange conglomeration of events. If it was the same sort of situation, Eli _knew_ he couldn't assist his buddy; he just didn't have that kind of money right now.

"Somebody stole my car." Josh answered, clear signs of contempt showing on his features.

"Oh, come on, Josh. That thing was a piece of junk." Eli chuckled, using his hands to accentuate the fact.

"I know, but that car has sentimental value!" his pal whined, his expression changing to a plea. "You've got to remember those ridiculous spring break vacations we went on in that thing. Dave's obnoxious singing...Evin's attempt at clever traveling word games... Sure, it was a crap car, but it was still worth something to me!" Eli smirked as college memories flooded back to him of all those stupid road trips the guys took in the rusty, orange car. Yeah, the metal frame was more than just a piece of the car to all of them, but how could he help Josh find it?

"Look, I know I'm probably not going to get that hunk of scrap metal back, but there was something fishy going on. I just want to know if there's something more to this than car theft." Josh informed Eli darkly. _Now_ Loker was suspicious. He trusted Josh and he basically had no reason not to believe him; if Josh thought something was a little strange, then something was probably a little strange.

"Why do you think there's more to it?" Eli muttered, leaning in closer to his buddies.

"Oh, dude, Josh _totally_ parked the car _right_ in front of the store; there was no way you could've missed it." Dave swore, his eyes wide with honesty.

"Yeah, and we were all getting a slushy, not paying any attention, when we heard squealing tires." Evin added with a nod.

"We turn back around, and my car is gone." Josh finished. "The clerk was standing there the _entire_ time and she claims she saw and heard nothing."

"That is a little weird..." Eli admitted, scratching his stubble. It's not as if the clerk didn't notice; there were squealing tires, people would stare at that. Either, she was reluctant to give information, or she was part of it all. But, it must've been an amateur group of criminals if it was so blatant she was fibbing.

"That's what I thought! She's _got_ to be lying." Josh observed, folding his arms. "So, you're in the business of seeing if people are telling the truth, right? I thought that maybe you could question her and see if you could dig something up out of it." Eli thought about it, coming to a partial conclusion; he had one more question to ask.

"Why are you so worked up about all this?" Eli mumbled, his choice teetering between two possibilities.

"Come on, Eli. It's my car we're talking about here! I just want to know what happened to it, even if it ended up being blown up or somethin'." Josh ranted, shaking his head as he finished. He was mad, frustrated and he probably felt betrayed. Josh _hated _when he was lied to, even if it was a little white lie. That's why he took to Eli so quick. Loker could remember one of the first memories he had with Josh.

_"Is this shirt okay?"_ Josh had asked him as he was prepping for a date. Back then, he was only a roommate, but they were well on their way to being friends. Eli had examined the taxi yellow t-shirt and thought out his answer carefully. Josh was menacing; Eli didn't want to get beat up over a shirt.

_"If you...want to be found in a crowd."_ Eli remembered telling him. Luckily, Josh let out a grin just before taking off the shirt.

_"I like you, man. You're honest!" _Okay, so Josh accepted his radical honesty. Dave was just too lax and too...stoned-like to really let anything bother him, and Evin was much too nice to take a harsh comment badly. Eli fit in with them, more so than he did at The Lightman Group. They would always be his close buddies, since they pulled all-nighters together; graduated together; and they'd even shared a few scuffles between themselves. Torres couldn't top that, even if she tried.

"Alright, I'll help you." Eli finally decided. Smiles spread over his pals' faces, relieved that their fourth musketeer was willing to help. "I'll see if I can get off work early so we can go grab a bite to eat."

"But...I thought you had a second job." Josh responded, thinking back to a past phone call.

"Yeah, yeah, but if I can leave now, I'll have time to get dinner with you guys." Eli chuckled. "I'll ask Lightman if I can have a day off tomorrow, but I don't have to work at my second job tomorrow night."

"Alright, man, awesome." Dave laughed, nodding.

"Unfortunately...you guys have to pay." Eli muttered, looking apologetic.

"Hey, that's alright; you're helping us out with this crazy situation anyway." Evin laughed, waving a hand as if he were shooing away Eli's guilt and embarrassment.

"Great, a free meal." Loker chimed.

* * *

"What do you want, Loker?" Lightman sighed, even before Eli had come to a halt before his desk.

"Mercy." Eli stated simply. Cal looked at him intently, though still managing an irritated expression.

"What did you do this time?" he mumbled.

"Oh, no, nothing like that." Eli laughed. "I was just wondering if I could have a day off tomorrow, seeing as we just closed up a case and my college buddies just came in town..." Cal exhaled loudly as he thought it over. "It's not like you have to pay me or anything either."

"Fine." he answered.

"Oh, great, thanks!" Loker chuckled graciously. "And, uh...can I maybe...you know...leave work early?" Cal shot a look at him that basically said no, causing Eli's shoulders to slump. Lightman caught the disappointed action and glanced away.

"Ugh, do whatever you bloody want, I don't care." he grumbled, flipping over a folder to read. Eli's guise lit up in pure joy and he almost skipped out of the office with excitement.

"Thanks, Lightman!" he called back as he left the room, eager to leave.

"Where are you going?" Ria asked loudly as he quickly walked past her.

"I'm, uh, leaving." he answered, turning in his step to face her.

"But, your shift isn't over." she observed, flickering a warning glance at Lightman's office. Of course, if Cal hadn't been at work, they would've definitely left work early. They just finished a case after all: there wasn't anything else for them to do.

"Ah, but I got special permission from the big cheese himself." he corrected, wagging a finger. "I'll see you Thursday." He spun on his heel to head back to the lobby.

"Thursday? What about tomorrow? Where will you be?" Ria inquired, now getting a little annoyed that he was granted such privileges.

"I'll be gone!" he called back as he strode away. "Have a great Wednesday!" Ria shook her head as she watched him go, then tugged the door open into the analysis room.

"Lucky..." she murmured, slipping through the door.

"Who was that?" Josh asked, a whistle following.

"Ria Torres, my coworker." Eli chuckled. "She's way out of your league, man."

"Ouch, your honesty hurts sometimes." his buddy laughed, taking it in good humor.

"Come on, guys, I'm starved." Dave whined, flicking Eli's arm.

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_Author's Note: Eh, eh? Relax, it's only just begun...hopefullly, it will get better.... Please review! :)_


	2. Sight

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing involved with the television show "Lie to Me" and I won't pretend to._**

_Author's Note: Okay, guys, I know it hasn't quite gotten suspenseful yet, but I'd still like some reviews! They get the creative juices flowing a little easier. ;) Anyway, I hope you enjoy this next chapter. Review this time, won't ya? Please?  
_

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**2. Sight**

Eli was exhausted. His night job as a call center operator didn't require much energy, but it was simply the lack of sleep that made him trudge along like a zombie. The call center wasn't that far from his apartment building, where his pals were probably sleeping soundly. He always walked home, despite how tired he was, because it would save him money on gas: he needed all the help he could get just to get a meal on the table. It was nearly three in the morning and if he hurried home, he might be able to fit in at least four hours of sleep before his alarm clock went off. Sure, he had the day off tomorrow, but he'd promised Josh he'd help out and he didn't want to waste away half the day in bed if he could be out investigating. Eli had never taken a case by himself. He only analyzed expressions and did Lightman's research; it wasn't really his job to figure out what was going on. Ria was always eager to do that part anyway and he would occasionally assist her in her theories. Eli sighed heavily.

"What I do for old buddies…" he grumbled, swaying through a dark alleyway. It was his shortcut, even though he knew bad things usually happened in such locations. He'd been walking through the shady passage most nights for a few months now, and not once had he been the victim of a crime. Eli approved it as a safe way of travel to get to his apartment.

His stomach growled as his feet scuffled against the concrete. He wasn't able to persuade any of his coworkers to give him food today, not even a bite of their sandwich. At least he had a suitable meal for dinner and he was extremely grateful for that. He glanced up ahead of him as the rest of his journey loomed before him. Just awhile longer and he could collapse into a cozy bed.

Josh awoke to the annoying buzz of an alarm clock. He growled to himself and sat up on the couch he slept on. Last night, he and his two friends had argued and wrestled over who would get the couch, resulting in his victory. Dave and Evin were stuck napping on the floor with spare pillows and blankets. They didn't dare steal Eli's bed; the kid was basically burning the candle at both ends. Even so, he didn't have to make the rest of them suffer through the irritating wakeup call of the little digital clock. Josh headed towards Eli's room, the door wide open, and stared down angrily at the sleeping figure. Dave and Evin stumbled behind him, rubbing their eyes.

"Seriously, Eli?" Josh snarled, pulling up the shades to allow sunlight to poor in.

"No…" Eli groaned, pulling the sheets over his head. Josh switched off the alarm and picked up a spare pillow, hitting Eli harshly in the skull with it.

"Thanks for waking us all up, idiot." he mocked, aiming another swift smack of the pillow.

"...Sorry..." Eli moaned into his own pillow. Josh dropped the pillow back on the bed, then stared at his buddy.

"Did you sleep in your work clothes?" he inquired, staring at the collar of a button-up shirt.

"Maybe..." Eli answered, pulling himself up dazily and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Sure enough, he was still wearing a sweater vest and a button-up shirt, along with black, faded jeans. Josh and the other two pals stared at Eli, unsure how to tell him he needed to drop the job as a lie detector. It wasn't getting him any money, and who knew how long it would be before he got any pay?

"Go...eat cereal or something." Eli croaked as he slowly pushed himself into a standing position, swaying slightly.

"Alright..." Josh replied hesitantly, heading out of the room and grabbing the other two young men. Evin closed the door behind them, silently praying they wouldn't find Loker passed out on the floor when they returned. The three of them trudged into the small kitchen while Dave itched his scruffy face to produce a lone scratchy sound.

"Okay, so he doesn't eat _or_ sleep." Josh sighed as he opened a nearly empty cupboard. All that sat inside were a few boxes of various cereals and a case of instant noodles. "This kid's a nutcase."

"Whatever, man, just give me the sugar cereal." Dave demanded, grabbing a box and wandering around the kitchen in search of a bowl. It was an unspoken rule between the guys to keep clear of each other's personal lives, but Josh broke it regularly. Eli's inability to properly take care of himself was unacceptable to him. If he wasn't intimidated by Dr. Cal Lightman, he would have the right mind to go marching into Lightman's office and force him to start writing Eli a weekly paycheck.

The bedroom door creaked open and Eli emerged wearing a fresh pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Dark circles nestled under his eyes and his gaze held a mournfully faint glimmer, which Josh had never expected to see again after a certain week of finals.

"When do you want to leave?" Eli yawned, covering his mouth in politeness.

"Whenever you're awake enough not to fall asleep at the wheel." Evin chuckled, snatching the cereal box from the already eating Dave. Eli smiled and brushed a hand over his face wearily, leaning against the counter as he stared out the window.

"You want any?" Josh asked, holding up the box before pouring the contents into his own bowl.

"Nah, I'm good." Eli lied. He was hungry, but if these guys were going to eat like monsters, he'd have to skip breakfast today in order to afford lunch some other day. Loker knew Josh would've gladly paid him a few bucks to get more food, but Eli didn't want to ask for help; he was doing fine on his own anyway.

"Oh, come on, Eli. How many times have I told you? Breakfast is—"

"—the most important meal of the day, I know." Eli laughed, glancing at the floor. "But, I don't know...sometimes I get nauseas if I eat in the morning." Right, it was a lame excuse, but Evin and Dave believed it. Eli didn't want to go against his own policy of radical honesty…even so, it was overruled by his refusal to be a subject of sympathy. Silently, he hoped he would be treated to another warm meal, just so he could avoid another night of easily prepared ramen.

"How do you know the same clerk will be there anyway? Maybe it's her day off." Eli inquired, sitting in one of the chairs around his little table. The other three chewed thoughtfully, obviously not having thought that idea through.

"I don't know." Josh shrugged. "But we'll check anyway."

"This better be good." Eli growled, putting two fingers to the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

"Maybe you should go back to bed." Josh suggested between bites.

"No way, I'll get a normal night of sleep tonight anyway." he answered. Honestly, he _desperately_ wanted to go back to bed, but his own human mind fought against it with denial.

"Oh, here, here!" Josh exclaimed, pointing out the windshield. "That's the place." Eli turned into the shabby little gas station and parked carefully. Strangely, this whole ordeal made him nervous and he didn't quite know how to react: he wasn't exactly familiar with this feeling. He put the car in park and turned it off, sighing as he stared at the mini mart. Josh had relayed that he tried to tell the cops about his stolen car, but they didn't seem to take him seriously. So, now it had to fall into Eli's lap.

"What fun…" he droned sarcastically.

"Come on, let's go!" Josh demanded, clicking open the car door and quickly getting outside. Evin and Dave followed behind and Eli had no choice but to do the same.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." he mumbled as he shuffled behind his friends. At first, he was eager to help; but now that he was here, his excitement faded quickly.

"Well, will you look at that?" Evin said with a smile, pointing through the front window of the store. "She _is _here!" Internally, Eli groaned, staring at the young woman: he did _not_ want to question her.

A bell sounded as they came through the doors and the bleached blonde looked up from a magazine. Shock came over her face as she saw the familiar faces and she quickly put away her magazine. Her eyes shot over to Eli, clearly wondering who he was and why his buddies had brought him. Eli admitted he was starting to get a little curious, but he still didn't think it was enough to get him enthusiastic about this case.

"Hello." Evin greeted politely, just as Josh slapped a hand on the counter.

"Good morning." he said, though it tumbled out as more of a threat than a friendly gesture. "I thought you only worked the night shift." Eli rolled his eyes; this was typical of Josh. His best friend and ex-roommate was under the illusion that starting with small talk made such interrogations seemingly epic, or more dramatic. Josh acted as if there was some sort of climax to an examination, but he was easily fooled from Hollywood renditions. Then again, sometimes there was a peak in some questionings; Eli just didn't think it would be _this_ one. The poor girl probably didn't see anything, like his three pals. Maybe, she was crouching behind the counter looking for something or maybe her mind was jumbled after the incident and her answer came out wrong when Josh asked her the first time. Eli just couldn't find a suitable reason to suspect her of hiding something important.

"Oh, I switched with somebody today." she replied quietly, nodding slowly. Her eyes shifted between the boys and she tapped her fingers nervously on the counter. Eli exhaled loudly and nudged Josh aside, determined to just get this over with and go home.

"My friends tell me you were working when their car was stolen." he stated, staring at her face. Loker read her expression as scared, but not traumatized, and he found it rather unusual.

"Y-yeah, I was. B-but, I didn't see anything!" she claimed, her voice high-pitched. Liar.

"You're lying to me; what aren't you telling us?" Eli asked, his tone average, but she reacted as if he were demanding the answer out of her.

"I _told _you, I didn't see it! I didn't see their car get stolen!" she shouted, her body language screaming that she was trying to cover something up. Eli raised his eyebrows and blinked as he contemplated how to handle this shrieking woman. Slowly, he turned to his buddies and took a deep breath.

"Maybe you guys should step out." he hinted, leaning casually on the front counter. Josh looked outraged while Evin and Dave seemed confused; but they left anyway, returning to the comfort and warmth of the car. Eli twisted back around and leaned on the counter.

"Look, we're not going to call the cops or anything, we just want to know what happened to the car. Call it curiosity, if you will." Eli assured her, continuing to observe her expressions. Her muscles relaxed a little and her frown lessened. "Now, did you see the car get stolen?" The clerk's eyes shot up to meet his and he could see the regret and shame that lurked in her gaze.

"Yes." she whispered. Eli stood taller, secretly proud of himself for getting the investigation somewhere. After all, this was their only lead: if she didn't talk, they had nothing to follow.

"What did you see?" he probed, hoping for another promising answer.

"It was...dark. I saw the car squeal away, that's all." she muttered, glancing away.

"Liar. What did you see?" he pressed. The clerk stared him for a moment, as if she was searching for some sort of quality in his eyes.

"It's better that you don't get involved."

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_Author's Note: Phew. :) This is your friendly reminder to give me some reviews or support of some kind, I'd really appreciate it. ;P_


	3. Reading Fear

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing involved with the television show "Lie to Me" and I won't pretend to.**_

_Author's Note: It is a little short...but it stops in such a good place. ;P Thanks BlueMidnightSun and Blankfield for the only, but well-loved, reviews. :) It's hard to find motivation to write something when you don't know if anyone even _wants_ to read it, so thanks a bunch! Please review! This chapter should be more...exciting. :)_

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**3. Reading Fear**

"Well, obviously I do want to get involved because I'm here." Eli explained, locking the clerk in place with his gaze. She continued to look at him with a warning look, but he shrugged it away. "Tell me." She took a deep breath and leaned forward, as if she was about to tell a secret.

"You promise not to tell the cops?" she mumbled.

"I promise." he confirmed. This case had a frightening impression on Eli, yet he continued to push forward and give in to his inquisitive side.

"I happen to know those guys are some serious criminals." she whispered, glancing around for any eavesdroppers. "Whatever they stole your friends' car for, I doubt it was to get a few bucks for extra scrap metal." She expressed seriousness and caution as she continually looked over her shoulder, her breath shaky. A chill went down Eli's spine, but her words weren't enough for him to draw a logical conclusion. He needed more answers.

"Anything else you can tell me?" he inquired, shooting a quick look at his friends in the car.

"Do you seriously have a death wish?" she hissed, staring at him like he was a lunatic.

"No," he chuckled. "I doubt I'll get killed over asking a few questions." The clerk looked at him with disbelief reflecting in her pupils and he, again, ignored her hint of danger.

"Come on, give me something to work with here!" he begged, pushing his hands into his pockets and staring at her expectedly. Now the case had roped him in and he was slowly being dragged into sleepless nights and constant curiosity.

"I saw the car." she finally sighed, sweeping her bleached hair from her face. "Just around here..." she wrote the intersection name on an old receipt and slid it to him, almost glad to be rid of the information stored in her memory. Eli snatched the receipt and gazed at it: this was his next lead. "It's orange and rusty, right? It's not like it was hard to miss." A grin broke out on Eli's face.

"Thanks, you've been a great help." he said, weariness fleeing from his body and mind. He was refocused on this investigation, eager to find a conclusion.

"Get out of here." she ordered, leaning back on her stool and retrieving her magazine from under the counter. Loker obeyed, but looked back just to see her hands shivering, causing the magazine pages to flutter slightly. He turned back just in time to push open the door, sounding the bell, and then made his way back to the car. As his eyes met the sight of Josh in the front seat, his mind came to a conflict.

He wanted to do this investigation alone.

It was an interesting case and he didn't want his friends breathing down his neck the whole time. He wanted to figure it out himself just to know that he could solve the puzzle. He just wanted to do this on his own.

"What did she say?" Josh asked eagerly as Eli slid into the driver's seat.

"She admitted to seeing your car stolen," he confessed. "but that's all; she was just scared." Oops. Okay, so to get the case all to himself, he had to lie. That was only a small implication, right? It could be mended later.

"So...I'm never going to see my car again?" Josh questioned sadly.

"'Fraid not." Eli sighed, turning on the car and putting it in drive. Guilt started to lodge itself in his throat, but he quickly swallowed it down as he devised a new lie.

"Do you want me to drop you back at my place? I think I'm going to stop by The Lightman Group to make sure they don't need my help today." he explained, though he had completely different intentions.

"Yeah, yeah, sure..." Josh murmured, his negative attitude seeping into the surrounding air. Evin and Dave stared out of the back windows, determined not to get involved with Josh's bitter mood.

* * *

Eli rode down the roadway, keeping an eye out for the unmistakable old, orange car. It had to be there...it _had_ to. He needed more clues and this was all he had.

Loker exhaled loudly as he drove slowly through the intersection the clerk wrote down. He hadn't seen the rusty vehicle yet, and he was getting discouraged...fast. His car followed the curve of the street and his gray eyes scoured the area, falling on nothing. Could the clerk have lied to him? Impossible, he checked and he didn't see any dishonesty in her features. Maybe the vehicle was moved, but it _was_ here before. Wait....His gray eyes darted back to the other side of the street.

The orange car sat alone near a warehouse.

Eli quickly swerved into the patch of asphalt that kept the familiar automobile, pulling up a few yards away from it. He immediately jumped out of his car and widened his eyes in the search for more clues and hints.

Eli was addicted to this investigation.

* * *

Loker knew there was something wrong with this case. He had been digging through it by himself for nearly a week now, though without the knowledge of his friends or coworkers. By now, his college buddies had returned back home, which made things a little easier for him. He was only running on a few hours of sleep a day and barely a snack would find its way into his stomach, since the search for more evidence and answers took up nearly all his free time. But, Eli found such a little compilation of clues, to his dismay. Besides the old, orange car he kept returning to and reinvestigating, he had nothing else to go on. But, every time he rechecked the vehicle and the warehouse, he found something new. Among the most prominent discoveries, he'd found scratches near the trunk of the car that he knew were never there before and, just recently, spots of blood on the concrete inside the warehouse. Something inside Eli screamed that he should leave the case alone, but he couldn't tear himself away from his curiosity and his brain longed to solve the puzzle. So far, all he knew was that there was more to it than a stolen car. Perhaps, the crime went much further than he wished to go.

Eli walked along the sidewalk, heading home after six more hours of work at the call center. Before last Tuesday, his walks home were leisurely and his mind wandered to pointless thoughts. But, today, his thoughts were too focused to relax. This case felt too wrong, and he wanted to figure out why as soon as he could. Eli sighed as he shuffled his feet, rubbing his five o' clock shadow with a tired hand. If he wasn't so concentrated on thinking up ideas, he would've noticed the shadows trailing behind him. Loker continued on his path, oblivious to the world around him. Maybe there was a kidnapping involved. Or…a murder? Eli's stomach swirled uncomfortably. Was it possible he just stumbled upon something _that_ horrible?

Finally, he heard the footsteps.

Footsteps that weren't his own; footsteps that sped up his heart. He was afraid to glance behind him, but he did anyway to confirm his suspicion. By then, it was too late to escape unscathed.

There was a fist that shot out and hit him square in the eye, making his vision dark and blurred on one side. Not ready for the attack, Loker fell to the concrete with a hand to his eye. While he was down, the two obscure figures started kicking him harshly, making him curl up into a ball as he let out cries of pain. His attackers paused, catching their breath as they started talking to each other. Eli didn't listen; he was too concerned about how much he hurt that his senses didn't register and his mind became sluggish. Then his brain clicked on a light: he had to run.

He tried to crawl away, his body stinging, but one of the men grabbed him by the legs and dragged him back, his partner picking Eli up by the collar just to punch him in the face again. Loker hit the hard ground a second time and the men fit in a few more kicks while he tensed from pain.

"What, should we kill him?" one man mumbled, wiping a hand across his mouth as his lungs worked heavily for air.

"No, no...McKinree said he wanted him alive." huffed the second. Eli's breath caught in his chest and he closed his eyes tightly from fear. He had to get out of here; he had to find someplace to hide. Eli psyched himself for the run of his life, wincing as he tried to get in position without catching attention. He counted to three, his eyes squeezed shut, then bolted from the ground. Eli ran with as much effort as he could muster, ignoring the pain pulsing through his leg. Adrenaline kicked in and combined with his unruly fear, forcing him to keep running. Shouts rang out from behind him as he heard the two men follow and responded by pushing his already screaming muscles to their limit. He couldn't go home; it wasn't safe. But had to find some place to go, some place to protect him. He would sprint all the way there if he had to.

He needed safety.

* * *

Ria was tired. She had a latte in her hand and a professional expression on her face. Sure, she didn't need it quite yet, but she was proud that she got to work in The Lightman Group. She would make the most of this job. She suspected Eli was already in the observation room, as he always seemed to be, spinning casually in his office chair. He got on her nerves sometimes, but she had to admit he was fun to talk to.

She heaved against the glass door into the observation room, but it didn't budge. With a sigh of frustration and disappointment that Eli wasn't at work yet, she pressed the correct numbers on the keypad beside the door. With a small beep, the door was unlocked and she pushed her way inside. She stopped in her tracks as her eyes settled on the dark, familiar waves of hair.

"Loker?" she said, coming into the room and setting down her things. His back was facing her and he didn't respond. She at first thought he could be sleeping, but it didn't really look that way. "Hey, Loker." she called a little bit more irritably. He sucked in a shuddering breath and she became instantly wary. "Eli?" Ria walked towards her partner, slowly circling her partner.

Wait a minute...didn't he wear that shirt yesterday?

He turned his head away from her and looked down on the floor in a way that prevented her from seeing his face. She glanced him over and saw dirt streaked across the front of his shirt along with little droplets of blood, and then her gaze stuck at the sight of his arms. A few bruises marked his skin randomly and his fists were clenched until the knuckles showed white.

"Eli!" she exclaimed, grabbing his chin and forcing him to look at her. Even then he tried to avert his gaze and she gasped at the sight that she now beheld. A black eye was just starting to nestle into his face and he had a split lip. His eyes were red-rimmed and afraid and his mouth was firmed into something that indicated grief. She could read him and it bothered her.

Terror, anguish, pain, shame, horror.

* * *

_Author's Note: Woah! Crazy...anyway, please review; I would really appreciate it! :D_


	4. The Power of Inquisition

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing involved with the television show "Lie to Me" and I won't pretend to**._

_Author's Note: Oh my goodness gracialicious! I am all done with my finals for this quarter and I'm **beyond** happy about that. :D _**_Overjoyed. _**_Anyway, I hope you enjoy this next chapter...even though it's a little sad and really makes Dr. Lightman seem horrible evil... But, yeah, please review! :D_

* * *

**4. The Power of Inquisition**

"Who did this to you?" Ria asked, still staring at Eli's black eye. He pulled his chin away and didn't answer. "Loker, what happened?" Still, no response. Ria racked her brain for what to do. She could recognize all the common signs of a traumatized victim, but did that mean Eli had been attacked? Maybe he was robbed? What to do, what to do...

Glancing between Loker and the door, she finally decided to get Foster. She remembered greeting Gillian when she walked in this morning, so she knew Foster was in the building somewhere. Ria headed straight for her office with the hope that she wasn't wandering around the facility. Partial relief came over her as she saw Foster just sitting down at her desk.

"Uh, Dr. Foster?" she called, a nervous tone bleeding through.

"Uh-huh?" Gillain replied, looking up at Torres. Ria looked concerned, wringing her hands as she faced the gentle-hearted woman.

"I-It's Eli, I think something happened to him." Ria answered. Gillian shot up from her desk, instantly concerned.

"What do you mean?" she demanded, her brow furrowing with seriousness.

"I think you better come see for yourself." Ria muttered and turned to walk out the door. Gillian immediately followed and Ria led her towards the analysis room, explaining the situation a little. "He looks like he got beat up and he's not talking." she informed Gillian, taking long strides to quicken the trip. "He's got all the signs of someone who's been through some kind of distressful situation." Foster looked grim as she stared ahead of her. Torres's tone and mood frightened her and a broken and grieved Loker popped into her head.

The two women walked into the observation room and Foster immediately headed over to Loker.

"Eli?" she said gently, trying to get him to look at her. She tried to keep a smooth expression on her face, even after seeing his sorry state. His gaze remained on the floor and his shoulders were hunched with discomfort. She attempted to put a hand on his arm, but he flinched away from it, causing her to pause for a moment.

"Eli, I need you to talk to me; tell me what happened." she urged quietly, bending over to look at his face. His eyes darted between different fragments of the floor as if he was reliving the horrid experience. After a short hesitation, Gillian quickly left the room, flipping out her phone. She pressed '3', then 'talk' and waited for the call to pick up.

"'Ello." Cal answered, the road noise in the background indicating he was driving.

"As soon as you get to the office, come to the analysis room." Foster demanded.

"What? Foster, what's going on?" Lightman asked, picking up the frantic tinge in her voice.

"Just...Just be here." she answered, flipping the phone closed and returning to Ria and Eli.

* * *

Cal couldn't understand why Foster needed him in the analysis room so quickly. If they spotted something in the case, they could've just told him; they didn't need to _show_ him.

He pushed open the glass door into the room, slowing his pace as his eyes set on a troublesome sight. Ria and Gillian were leaning towards Eli and their faces read worry and concern. Something was wrong with Loker.

Cal strode around to see the front of Eli and took a step back when he witnessed the damage. Lightman looked to Foster after he sucked in what Loker was feeling through his expression and body language.

"He hasn't said a word." Gillian told Cal worriedly, shaking her head. "We don't know what happened." Cal pondered for a moment, staring at his stiff employee.

"Oi, Loker!" he barked. Eli only flinched at the sound, but nothing more. Lightman took a second moment to think about the situation, soon settling on an idea.

"Put him in the cube." Cal demanded. Gillian and Ria looked at him, appalled.

"Are you insane? He's not some criminal or suspect; this is Loker we're talking about! And he is emotionally and psychologically unstable right now! You _can't _interrogate him!" Foster protested.

"Yes I can, and I will." Cal replied. "Torres, put him in the cube."

"No." Ria responded defiantly, folding her arms. Cal growled with irritation and pulled Eli up by the back of the collar, dragging him towards door into the interrogation room. The two women stared after him, gaping and shocked.

"I have to do every bloody thing myself, don't I?" Cal shouted, continuing to pull Loker behind him. The young man limped along, trying to keep up with his boss with a look of pain spread across his guise. Cal honestly believed this was the only way to get answers and he didn't care that he had to hurt Eli in order to help him. As soon as he was in the cube, he roughly put Eli into one of the cold, iron chairs and turned to look at Foster and Torres through the glass wall. They were still frozen in their places, stunned at Lightman's cruelty.

"I want his heart rate and temperature monitored." he announced, looking at Ria. She hesitated, glancing between the distraught Eli and her boss. She swallowed a hard lump in her throat, then proceeded to do as Cal implied. Ria was extra careful as she placed the sticky sensors to track Eli's heart rate and temperature, but Loker didn't react to her touch at all. This better work or she was going to turn Lightman black and blue.

Torres left the interrogation room, clearing emotion from her throat. She retreated back to the analysis room and sat down in Loker's usual seat, causing a pang to spring up in her heart. This was usually his job; she never thought _he'd _be the one on the other side of that glass. Ria glanced at the screen, finding Eli's temperature and heart rate to be normal. Foster stood anxiously, watching Cal's crazy plan fall into action. She didn't want him to do this, but it was Cal: she couldn't convince him otherwise. Besides, she longed for _something _from Eli to tell them what happened, even if it was a look of pure terror or perhaps a tear. She wanted him to _react_.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" Lightman inquired, continuing to stand and gaze at the young researcher. His words weren't sympathetic, but rather demanding.

Eli said nothing, but continued his pose.

"Loker, tell me what happened." Cal commanded, gripping Eli's shoulder. He could feel the muscles of the young man tense and took back his hand. "Did someone attack you? Beat you?" Eli's eyes shot up to Lightman's for a moment, but then went back down to the floor. Cal could see Loker's body start to tremble, shivering like he was cold.

"His heart rate increased there for a moment." Ria reported as Gillian stepped towards the glass of the cube. Maybe it _was_ possible that this would get something out of Eli.

"Why aren't you talking, Loker? Huh? Is there something keeping your mouth shut?" Cal sighed, plopping into the chair across the table from Eli. Loker took in a shaky breath as he tried to repress his quivering. Cal leaned forward, peering into the troubled gray eyes.

"Why were you attacked?" Lightman questioned. Eli closed his eyes tightly, wincing and attempting to shake away the memory. Foster held her breath in anticipation, noticing that Cal was starting to get through to Loker. "Did you deserve it? Was it random? Are you in some sort of trouble?" The continual shot of questions caused Eli to cringe into himself, as if he was hoping to shrink in size. "Why, Loker? Why were you attacked?" At last, Eli looked up at Cal, terror brimming in his eyes.

"I...don't...know..." he whispered. Cal, Gillian and Ria stared at the broken figure, astonished at the weak and small sound of Loker's voice. This wasn't the Eli they knew. He bowed his head again and Lightman was brought back into focus of his task.

"What happened, Loker?" he asked again, pushing for answers. Eli shook his head, his face twisted with emotions. "Eli, you need to tell me what happened." Loker hunched over and a lone tear escaped down his cheek.

"I was...I was walking home," he croaked, his voice cracking mid-statement. "then I heard something behind....something behind me." He took another shivering breath before continuing on. "I turned around and...somebody hit me in the face..." Even Cal became uncomfortable as he listened to Eli's tale. Gillian was trying her best not to let her sorrow get a hold of her and Ria kept her stare on the computer screen before her.

"Yeah, and after that?" Cal urged, even though he wasn't quite sure if he _wanted _to hear the rest of the story.

"I don't know...I was kicked a lot." Eli replied, his voice tightening towards the end of his comment. There was a thick, uneasy silence as Cal mustered up the will to ask something nagging at his mind.

"How...how did you get all that dirt on your shirt?" he inquired. Eli looked himself over, as if he hadn't noticed it before.

"I tried to get away..." Eli gulped loudly. "and they dragged me back." Gillian glanced away from the young researcher, trying to fight against her mind's automatic reaction to imagine the cruel scene.

"Then...how did you get away?" Lightman questioned, clasping his hands together on the tabletop. For once, he was actually getting an unsettling feeling from such an interrogation.

"I ran." Eli answered quietly. "I ran...and then I locked myself in the analysis room..." There was a sudden hush the fell over the team, only being disturbed by a sniffle from Eli.

"Is that all you remember? Is there _nothing_ else you can tell me?" Cal asked, leaning back in his chair. He knew this was painful for Eli, but if he was going to get some answers he had to push for them.

"I…" Eli paused for a moment. "I think…I think there was a name." he mumbled, shaking his head as he closed his eyes. He took deep breaths much more frequently now as the strain of the event enveloped him, the memories darting through his mind.

"What was the name?" Cal pressed.

"I can't…" Eli whispered, lowering his head further. Cal sighed in frustration, then abruptly stood up and slapped his hands on the iron table.

"What was the name?!" he yelled. He was so close; he just needed the name. How could it be that _now_ was the time for Loker to suddenly resist the questions?

"I can't…!" Eli cried, putting his face in his hands.

Gillian had had enough.

She bolted into the interrogation room and immediately tugged Cal around by his blazer. With the motivation of anger, she placed a well-aimed smack to his cheek. Torres stared at her two bosses, unable to fully understand what she had just witnessed.

"Don't you have a heart? Look at him, Cal. _Look at him_!" she ordered, pushing his shoulder to turn him back to face Loker. "Don't you see what I see?" Cal's stomach dropped as he realized what she meant. Eli was silently sobbing into his hands, the grief physically shaking him.

"He doesn't need to be interrogated, Cal. He needs to be _comforted_." she said softly. Lightman turned to look at her, seeing the sympathetic look in her eyes as she stared at the usually cheerful employee.

"No...I think he needs protection." Cal sighed.

* * *

_Author's Note: Wasn't this a little angsty...? Reviews, pleeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaase? I usually reply to them.... :)_


	5. Shattered Glass

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing involved with the television show "Lie to Me" and I won't pretend to.**_

_Author's Note: Mmm....we're getting into some good stuff. :) Thanks for the reviews, everybody (you all know who you are)! I always love checking my email and finding that I got a review. ;) It leaves me warm and fuzzy. ^.^ Anywho, I hope you enjoy this chapter and please review! :D  
_

* * *

**5. Shattered Glass**

"I don't get it, Lightman. Who's this guys that's so important for me to protect?" Reynolds sighed. Cal had called him unexpectedly, ordering him to come to The Lightman Group earlier than he usually did. Now, he was babbling about how imperative it was that he kept an eye on somebody. Lightman hadn't said who, and Reynolds found it difficult to concentrate on Cal's demands when he was mentally attempting to guess.

"Does it really matter?" Lightman answered irritably. "It's crucial that you take this seriously, got it?" Cal was quickly making his way to his own office with Reynolds following behind.

"Yeah, right." Ben growled, adjusting his suit jacket amid his annoyance. Cal opened the door to his office cautiously and entered inside, gesturing that Ben should come in. Reynolds took a few steps past the threshold before Lightman closed the door and Ben took a look around. Loker sat on the couch, his elbows on his knees and his hands wound through his hair. His head was bowed deeply and Foster had a tender hand to his back. Torres looked on with sorrow, but avoided any physical contact with him.

"What's going on?" Reynolds inquired as he stared at the bruises marking Eli's arms.

"We don't quite know; he won't talk about it." Gillian nearly whispered.

"But, something definitely is all wrong about this." Cal muttered. "I think there's more to this than we think."

"And...what do we think?" Reynolds asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"It could've been a random attack, but it was too violent for a robbery." Ria replied quietly, still gazing at Eli. Ben almost expected Loker to somehow react to words like 'attack' and 'violent,' but he didn't budge.

"Wait...I'm supposed to protect...him?" Reynolds questioned slowly, pointing at Loker.

"Yeah, that's the idea." Cal answered, glancing at Eli. "Even if this all ends up being a load of rubbish, we don't want to take any chances." There was silence, followed by the beginning patters of raindrops. Cal turned his head to the window just to watch weather's tears slide down his office windows.

"Unfortunately, Cal and I have some work we've got to do." Gillian explained, removing her hand from Eli's back and taking a few steps towards her partner. "I've already asked Torres to try and find something that'll connect with the attack on Loker."

"That means you have to keep eyes on Loker twenty-four-seven, got it?" Cal said firmly, pointing at Reynolds as if it made his command more menacing.

"Alright." Ben answered, flaring his nostrils. Personally, he thought this was all pointless; but if he got paid, he had nothing to complain about. He might as well carry out the job.

Foster and Lightman left the office, eager to finish up their tasks so they could aid Ria in her endeavor. Both of them knew it would probably be more than a day before they wrapped up their recent case, yet they couldn't help but hope they would finish it up much sooner. Ria lingered by Eli for a moment, then shifted uneasily.

"Eli, I have to ask you a few questions." she explained quietly. He hardly moved: only his hands tightened in his hair. "Eli…?" He lifted up his head, causing Reynolds to flinch back from surprise. He didn't expect Loker, of all people, to have a black eye. For some reason, it seemed to magnify the cruelty of his attackers.

"Yeah?" he croaked, sniffling and sitting up straighter.

"Is there any reason you can think of for…being attacked?" she asked hesitantly as Ben stood idly by. Eli shook his head, his expression becoming rigid as he held back emotions.

"Is there any reason that you think they are still after you?" she muttered. Eli looked thoughtful, and he started to rub one of his temples as he tried to recall the conversation between the two men.

"I remember…" he whispered. "I remember one of them saying that…somebody wanted me alive." His eyes swirled with fear and Reynolds peered at him curiously. Loker was unquestionably shaken; Ben didn't need to be part of The Lightman Group to recognize that. Ria took a deep breath as she contemplated Eli's words.

"Do you suspect anyone?" she inquired, still keeping her voice gentle and calm. Eli shook his head and furrowed his eyebrows. "Who were you with this past week? Maybe they noticed something." Eli swallowed and pulled out his cell phone.

"I-I've really only been here and my second job." he told her, then held out the phone with a shaking hand. "But, I was also with my college buddies. M-my friend Josh is on there." Ria took it tentatively, glancing at it before looking back at Eli. What…? Second job? She shook herself mentally. Of course he had a second job; he couldn't live off of this one. Eli returned to his stiff, quiet state.

"He hasn't been to the hospital yet; maybe you should take him sometime today." Torres suggested to Reynolds before she left the room with the cell phone in hand. Ben took a moment to look over his client. Loker was a mess; someone definitely roughed him up.

But who would be after Loker? It was probably a misunderstanding.

* * *

Ria flipped open her phone as she gazed at the number under 'Josh' in Eli's contact list. Carefully, she typed the correct numbers and pressed the phone to her ear, waiting as the ring tone sounded.

_Click_.

"Hello?" answered a voice.

"Um, hi...is this Josh? Eli Loker's friend?" she inquired, staring off into the empty glass cube of an interrogation room.

"Yeah, that's me." he replied cheerfully. There was a pause between the two callers until Josh spoke up. "Woah, woah...don't tell me he died of overworking! It happens you know; it's not a completely strange concept!"

"No, Eli's still alive." Ria responded quickly, but avoided claiming Loker was 'alright.' "This is Ria Torres; I work with Eli."

"Torres...? Oh, you work with him at that dead end job of his." he chuckled. "Yeah, I remember you."

"I need to ask you a few questions." she explained, pulling a pen and paper closer to her.

"Why? What happened?" he asked, suddenly frantic.

"Um...Eli was attacked just last night." she informed him calmly, even though her voice threatened to get shaky.

"Holy crap...is he okay?" Josh inquired, and she could imagine the grief coating his face.

"He's going to be fine." she assured him. "But, did you notice anything strange last week? Maybe somebody suspicious following Eli or something?" Ria was eager to find answers and discover a reason to wave away unneeded worry.

"Well, I dunno about somebody suspicious...but Eli was acting a little different." he answered, his voice serious. "I assumed he'd taken a third job and didn't want to tell me about it; I wouldn't be surprised."

"Why? What was so strange about his behavior?" she pressed, getting her hand ready with a pen.

"He would leave earlier in the mornings and he would always claim he was going to work early. But, Eli was a little...well, shifty. Like he didn't want me to know what he was doing." he replied. "I mean, he doesn't usually lie to me, so when he does, it's usually because it's important to him or something." The cogs in Ria's brain turned, thinking over the information as she scribbled down words. A secret? Why would Eli keep a secret?

"And this was the entire time you were with Eli?" she questioned, tapping the pen tip on the paper to produce tiny dots.

"Basically... I mean, he would wake up even before his alarm clock. Actually, his quirky behavior didn't start until after we went to talk to some store clerk." he said, sounding thoughtful.

"Do you know why that'd be?" Torres pushed on, hoping to find more meaningful answers.

"It was pretty dumb, I guess. My car had been stolen and I thought she was lying, so I brought Eli along to make sure she was telling the truth. But, he told me she had accidentally lied because she was shaken up from the incident and all that jazz..." he muttered. "It was something about witnessing the crime."

"Can you tell me where this clerk is?"

"Oh, yeah...!"

Quickly, she wrote down the address of the small mini mart where the clerk had been while Josh relayed it to her, almost gleeful over her new information.

"She had bleached blonde hair." he explained. "I think her shift is at night, but I can't be sure."

"Don't worry, I'll find her." Ria confirmed, a smile playing on her lips. This could be it! It was easy, almost _too_ easy. "Thank you for your time, Josh."

"Of course, just make sure my pal's alright, got it?" he ordered, though it would never amount to one of Lightman's cold gazes and stern commands.

"We'll do our best." she agreed before they said their farewells and she broke the connection.

Her eyes scanned over the notes on the pad of paper, a grin overtaking her features. The clerk...

* * *

Torres parked in front of the small little store, keeping her eyes on the target: the clerk's counter. The probability of the sought for clerk being there today was probably slim to none, but she could at least ask other employees. She stepped out of her car into the pouring rain and made her way into the store, making a beeline to the counter. It was some boy: far from her suspect.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for a certain employee." she said, smiling gently.

"Yeah, sure, who?" he muttered, clearly uninterested and bored.

"She had bleached blonde hair...I think she worked nights here." Ria fished, wishing he would have something to give her.

"Oh, Mandy, yeah...she quit." he mumbled, holding back a yawn.

"Can you tell me how to reach her?" she inquired, now desperate for more clues. To her disappointment, he shook his head. "How about a last name?"

"Uh...I think it was...Casey." he grumbled.

"Thanks." she replied hastily, hurrying back to her car between heavy droplets of water. Her phone was already out of her pocket and speed dialing Reynolds.

"What?" he barked on the other end.

"I need you to look up something really quick."

* * *

"Yeah, yeah, hold on." Ben growled. He snapped his head towards to Eli, who was gazing blankly at the rain, which was coming down in sheets.

"Stay here." Reynolds demanded strictly. Loker nodded, but kept his eyes on the continual flow of water down the window. Ben left the office, closing the door harshly behind him. Eli felt a shiver down his back as he discovered himself to be alone. He didn't want to be alone; at least, not right now. Even if it was the tough Ben Reynolds that stood a few yards away from him, it was better than leaving Eli with his own thoughts. What if those men found him? What if they finally succeeded in abducting him? His sight zoned out as his own fears overtook his mind. How long would it be before his paranoia would go away? Never. That's what Eli believed. He was now a victim of a psychological issue: how could he ever be normal? His eyes glanced to the door, wishing Ben would come back through the doorway, just to temporarily relieve his fear. Eli looked back to the window, his pupils catching on a disturbance in the smooth, glass-like color of rain on the window. It was like a large, shadowy smudge and it was coming closer. Closer...? What would—?

_Crash!_

Glass shattered across the office carpet like small diamonds, leaving a huge gap in the window. A familiar face appeared at the opening and Eli's eyes grew wide.

They were here.

The taller man climbed through the window frame first, grunting from the effort. Eli instantly stood, stumbling as he walked backwards to flatten himself against the opposite wall. His eyes shot to the office door, praying for Reynolds to burst through it at any moment. The man quickly made his way across the room, a triumphant smirk on his face.

"Gotcha." he said, a cackle escaping his throat. He slammed Eli's head against the wall, leaving Loker in an incoherent state. He could feel rug burns form on his arms as he was dragged across the carpet. Darkness fluttered into his sight just as Reynolds thrust open the door.

Too late.

* * *

_Author's Note: Yay! Suspense! :D Please review!_


	6. Fear Comes in All Shapes and Sizes

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing involved with the television series **_**_"Lie to Me" and I won't pretend to_**.

_Author's Note: Ah, man, how I've got plans for this story. :P Poor Eli... But it makes a good read, right? Well, hopefully. :) Okay, I hope you like this next chapter! I'm pleased with the increasing number of reviews, they warm my heart this holiday season. XD Please review...some more! :D_

* * *

**6. Fear Comes in All Shapes and Sizes**

"Torres, I can't just look up whatever you want me to." Reynolds growled as he took strides through the hallway. He was supposed to be watching Loker, but he didn't want Eli to be more involved in the case than he already was. That meant that Ben wasn't willing to use Lightman's computers to do Torres's simple job.

"It'll only take a few seconds." Ria promised, sounding impatient, yet enthusiastic. Ben paused and looked back at the office door. An icy feeling of dread gripped his soul, though he couldn't understand why. He better not take any chances.

"Hold on a sec." he told her gruffly, swiftly heading back to Lightman's office. He was only about fifteen yards away, but it was still much too far. There was the muffled sound of smashing glass and Ben's breath caught in his chest while other employees looked anxiously around themselves.

"I'll call you back." he muttered quickly into the receiver and hung up the phone, already running towards the office. There wasn't even a yell, but a single thud, as if something had just hit the wall. Only a few more yards. Ben shoved his way past a few faculty members, grasping his hand to the doorknob. With a single twist, he shoved the door open, just in time to watch Eli get dragged through the broken window. Loker looked dazed and his eyelids drooped heavily, but passed out soon after.

"Hey!" Reynolds shouted, pulling out his gun. The lean man that now held an unconscious Eli held Loker close with a knife to his neck, using him as a human shield. The stout man was too quick for Ben to get a good shot and he ran around the waiting shiny, black car to jump into the driver's seat , turning the engine on. The second man continued to pull Eli along in front of him and he retreated into the back seat of the vehicle, tugging Eli with him. The door slammed shut and the tires squealed as the car made its getaway. Reynolds was still glued to his spot, stunned at what had just transpired. His phone rang loudly in his pocket, hardly heard over the heavily pattering rain drops. Ben's hand fumbled with the device, finally pressing the 'talk' button and bringing it to his ear.

"Hello?" he mumbled, trying to rapidly get over the shock.

"Reynolds? What happened? Did something happen to Eli?" Ria shot off immediately, though still not sobering Ben from his complete failure of protecting Loker.

"Eli...Eli was just abducted." Reynolds croaked, watching steady drips of rain come off jagged glass.

* * *

Cal sighed as he stood in the entryway of his latest lead. Unfortunately, it was a lonely, single woman and she insisted on having them stay awhile longer so she could wrap up some of the extra coffee cake they had during their visit. Any other day, Gillian would've been more than eager to come to her aid and keep her company, but this just wasn't the time for that sort of thing. It was _Eli_ that needed consolation..._now_.

Cal's phone buzzed in his pocket and he slipped it to his ear to answer it.

"Lightman." he muttered.

"Lightman, we have a problem...a _big_ problem." Reynolds hissed on the other end. Ben was breathing hard as if he was panicking; but, knowing Reynolds, he was probably more irritated than terrified.

"What? What is it?" Cal mumbled uneasily, trying not to catch the attention of the woman in the kitchen. Foster was instantly aware and gave Cal a sidelong stare of worry.

"Eli's gone—" Ben began to explain, but the last of his statement was cut off when Lightman hung up on him. Fire welled up in his eyes and he shifted his stance as he waited impatiently for the woman.

"Miss? We've really got to go." Gillian called, catching Cal's new sour mood.

"Oh, I'm sorry." the woman laughed quietly, running back to the entryway and handing Foster the last bit of coffee cake. "Please, come visit anytime."

"Of course." Gillian answered politely while Cal angrily gazed out of the windows at the pouring rain. Thunder and lightning had just started to roll in, and occasional flashes would snap across the cloudy sky. Cal's jaw clenched and unclenched as Gillian said the final goodbyes for both of them. As soon as they were out the door, Cal swiftly walked to the car, ignoring the bothersome drip of raindrops on his skin. Gillian was close behind, though more at a trot in her high heels.

"What's happened?" she asked, both of them sliding into the car seats. They slammed the doors shut and Cal immediately turned on the car while Foster buckled her seatbelt.

"Loker's missing." he murmured, holding back his fury and terror.

* * *

Reynolds stared at the small dent in the wall with pursed lips. He had no idea of what it could be, but it didn't matter. His objective would be the same whether he knew or not: find Loker. Ben shouldn't have stepped out, even for a second. This was _exactly_ what Eli feared, and yet, Reynolds let it happen. Lightman was sure to be livid.

_Bam!_

The door to the office slammed open and a scowling Dr. Cal Lightman strode through, placing his face right in front of Ben's. Reynolds could feel the human lie detector's rage emanating from his person and readied himself for a verbal attack.

"What happened?! I thought I told you to keep eyes on him twenty-four-seven!" Cal shouted, his voice high-pitched with disbelief.

"I was only out for a few seconds—!" Ben tried to protest, his argumentative side pushing through.

"No, no excuse! I told you! I _told_ you!" Lightman yelled. "Now look what's happened!" Gillian stood with her arms crossed and Ben thought he could almost see disappointment in her features, as well as escalating fear. The more time that went passed, the smaller chance there was that Eli was alive.

Lightman turned away from Reynolds, shaking his head and firming his mouth into a straight line. He glanced at the window, seeing the wreckage, and sighed deeply. They must've been watching…waiting for Reynolds to leave. They were _ready_ for a quick abduction.

"You're a bloody idiot, you know that?!" he insulted, turning back to Reynolds. He took a few steps to again invade Ben's personal space. "You better fix this; you better find Loker." Reynolds nodded, his face settling into a tough, determined look. It was his only defense to cover his guilt and shame, but Cal saw right through it. He better bloody feel bad, it was his fault Eli was gone. Reynolds should've listened to him; then, none of this would've happened.

"What...?" Torres said quietly as she stepped into the office. She peered about her slowly, taking in the damage and the horror of the situation. Everyone was silent for a moment, meditating on their respective feelings as Ria was allowed time to comb over the scene with her eyes.

"We're dropping the Williamson case." Cal announced, looking to Foster. Gillian nodded, now overcome with worry.

"What did Williamson say about this?" Torres asked as she stared at the dent in the wall.

"Nothing...yet. But, it doesn't bloody matter what he says, we're dropping the case." Cal explained. "We need to be focused on finding Loker." With that, he walked out, irritation and stress clear on his guise. Reynolds watched him go, now slumping his shoulders as the weight of his mistake came down on him. Gillian followed Cal out, rubbing her forehead with two fingers and using her other arm to hug herself.

They needed a miracle.

* * *

Loker blinked his eyes against the dull light. He didn't know where he was, nor could he remember how he had fallen asleep. It took him awhile before he realized he was roped to a cold, metal chair. With deep breaths to calm his qualms, he gazed around himself, finding that he was in an empty, windowless room with a dim glow radiating from a single light bulb that hung down from the ceiling. His eyes caught onto weathered stains of blood splatters on the wall and floors, forcing his lungs into hyper drive. Eli had a bad feeling that he wasn't the only person to have been a victim in this room and his stomach swirled as he imagined what his captors had in store for him. He heard noises on the other side of the door and his eyes darted around to look for some kind of escape. Of course, he'd have to somehow find a way to get out of the ropes before looking for an exit. But, his mind was desperate for survival and was skipping steps out of panic. His eyes shot up as the door creaked open, praying this was all somehow a horrible nightmare. Eli wanted to wake up from this; he wanted this all to disappear.

"Why, hello, Mr. Loker." said the man that just walked through the door. He was well dressed: he wore a black suit with a white shirt and black tie. This man wasn't either of the two Eli had seen before, but he looked much more important, and the other two were close behind him.

Eli stared at the leader, unable to find a voice to answer him.

"He's a quiet one." muttered the stout captor. "Hardly said anything to his own boss."

"But, he _did_ say something." growled the front man, elbowing his subordinate harshly. The chubby man wheezed as he recovered from the jab, rubbing the injury tenderly. "If you hadn't let him get away the _first_ time, he wouldn't have said _anything_. Dimwit..." Eli glanced between the three men, unsure of which one was more violent. Which one should he watch out for?

"First things first: why were you sticking your nose in my business?" the head honcho inquired, slipping his hands into his pockets as he walked further into the room. Eli tried to shake off his inability to react, but it was only partially cured.

"...d-don't know...what...?" Eli stuttered, uneasily shifting his stare between the two cronies.

"I know you were asking Mandy questions. You know, that clerk you talked to." the boss said casually, slowly circling Eli. "You should've listened when she told you not to get involved." Loker's expression became stiff to hide his sudden realization. How come he didn't tell Ria about his secret investigation? Was it because he was so used to keep it a mystery? He knew it was more than a car theft; he should've told her. Eli breathed deeply as he collected what little courage he had.

"What did you do to her?" he whispered, looking at the floor.

"Nothing; she ran away from me." the man sighed, looking somewhat disappointed. "I can't find her anywhere. But, she assured me that she warned you not to ask anymore questions. Why would you continue to investigate when she clearly told you not to?" Eli didn't answer, but he was still able to place a scowl on his guise. The boss shot a look to his tall follower and the lean man stepped forward to strike Eli hard in the face.

"I don't tolerate that sort of behavior."

Loker didn't know what to do.

* * *

"I can't find a Mandy Casey anywhere." Torres grumbled, plopping into a chair in the conference room. "Not even an Amanda Casey."

"You found _nothing_?" Lightman inquired, looking puzzled.

"I mean, I found an address and I sent Reynolds to check it out, but he just called and said that she moved out a few days ago. Nobody knows where she went and she didn't leave a forwarding address for her mail." Ria explained, glancing over her notes.

"How about a phone number?" Gillian asked, leaning forward in her seat.

"Nope....she canceled her cell phone service just a couple days ago and she never had a registered number for her apartment." Torres answered. "She's completely off the grid." Gillian bit her lip in thought, hoping some sort of revelation would don on her. But it didn't come.

"I want you to take a look around Loker's apartment." Lightman sighed. Ria looked stunned, unsure if she could break into Eli's personal space in this kind of situation.

"What? That's _illegal_." she argued, her brow furrowed in offense on behalf of Loker.

"I doubt Loker's going to care whether or not what we did was legal." Cal growled. "We have to find him; I think that's plenty to cut corners."

"You're insane!" she gasped.

"He left his keys in the analysis room; I saw 'em." Lightman added, ignoring her. Ria looked at Gillian for help, but only received a pleading look instead.

"Torres…it may be the only way." she mumbled apologetically. Ria glanced away stubbornly, but she recognized her bosses' point.

She had to do it.

* * *

_Author's Note: How did you like that chapter? Care to tell me in a review? ;) Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!_


	7. Slipping Time

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing involved with the television series "Lie to Me" and I won't pretend to.**_

_Author's Note: I **finally** put up the next chapter! Sorry everybody. :P I hope you enjoy this next chapter and I hope you'll want to post a review. :) It would really be appreciated! . Do you even like this story? Anyway, happy holidays, people! :D  
_

* * *

**7. Slipping Time**

Eli's emotions were frayed and ready to break.

He'd endured the torture of his captors for what had been several hours and his neck could no longer hold the weight of his head. Loker was exhausted, drained from the stress of his position. He had been repeatedly hit in the face with every question he refused to answer, or even if he gave a wrong response. A few times, Mr. Lean-and-Lanky had aimed a good punch at his abdomen, leaving Eli gasping for air. He was throbbing and his head pounded, making it even more difficult for him to focus on the threat before him.

"Tell me what you know!" the leader shouted for the hundredth time, his voice buzzing in Eli's bowed head. If Loker wasn't nearly incapacitated from weariness and pain, he would've tried to give some sort of satisfactory answer. But, his energy could only last so long and he was just about out of it. He wheezed in a sad attempt to collect his voice; he was just too worn out. The boss sighed irritably, glancing at his expensive watch.

"Put him somewhere where no one will find him." he ordered. "I've gotta leave in ten minutes." The man rushed out of the room importantly, slicking back his hair as he went. Both Lean and Stout came forward to Eli, causing his heart to beat faster. He had somehow passed this phase in his captivity, but he couldn't foresee what the next step would be and his panic returned quickly.

"Looks like you get a short break." the chubby man mumbled as he untied the ropes around Eli's torso. His tall partner was working on unbinding his hands and Loker tried to think up a quick plan to put into action as soon as he was freed from his cords. Unfortunately, his two enemies were quicker than his now lethargic mind and he was swiftly unbound and held firmly by the strength of the men. He tried to fight back, but it only turned out to be a small struggle. Eli's adrenaline had failed him; it had run dry in his time of ultimate need. His resisting was quickly cured from a tight arm around the front of his shoulders; Eli recognized his opposition was a waste of his precious energy and finally slumped in the arms of his captors.

He was depending on his team at this point.

* * *

"You can't just drop my case, Dr. Lightman; I paid you half of the money up front!" Mr. Williamson shouted. He had come down to The Lightman Group personally after he'd received the call that they were abandoning his investigation. Cal and Gillian were now meeting with him in the conference room—not that there was much to talk about.

"We apologize, Mr. Williamson, but something very important has come up." Gillian responded.

"Which means: we don't have much time for idle chit-chat." Cal sighed, getting up from his chair impatiently. Gillian followed his example and the two were just about to head out of the room…but Williamson had something to say about it.

"What? Is it a higher paying customer or something?" he yelled, standing up abruptly in anger. "Don't you have any integrity? I'm a powerful man, Dr. Lightman; I can _ruin_ your company!" Slowly, Cal turned to face his opponent, only a fraction of his fury leaking onto his guise.

"Alright, let's get this sorted out." he said curtly. "I don't care about whoever is embezzling your bloody money; I don't care that you've already paid a bit; and I certainly don't give a damn that you had to delay a family vacation to bloody Europe." Mr. Williamson's lips tightened in a hateful line. "One of my own boys is missing and I am not about to shove _that_ case aside to make room for yours, got it? He's out there in who-knows-where and I think that takes precedence over your bloody money!" Cal's voice was steadily getting more high-pitched the louder it became. "You can take back your check and take your business elsewhere if your not willing to wait for me to save my own employee's life, you son of a—"

"Cal!" Gillian scolded, snapping Lightman's head in her direction. He looked back at a stunned Mr. Williamson and gave him a well-placed scowl, soon heading out of the conference room to chase after _more important_ matters. He almost expected Gillian to apologize on his behalf, but he heard the taps of her heels right behind him.

"That was _fantastic_, Cal." she said triumphantly, surprising him.

"Then, why did you stop me?" he mumbled, a grin overtaking his features.

"I honestly don't know." she replied quietly as the two of them headed to the analysis room to meet Torres. Brilliant: Cal was slowly dragging her into the art of deviltry.

It's strange what fear and worry can do to a person.

* * *

"Get down there!" the heavy man hissed as he shoved Eli into the rushing rain water. Of all places, his captors had taken him down into the storm sewers. With all the heavy rain for the past day, the water had risen in the concrete tunnels and flowed noisily along their paths. Since Eli's wrists were handcuffed, he had no choice but to stumble into the cold liquid, becoming soaked and freezing. The two men shoved him along, wading in the water behind Loker. The three of them were getting closer and closer to an arch blocked with a metal grate, the square holes large, but not big enough to allow anyone through. It _almost_ stirred up Eli's curiosity as to why they were heading in that direction, but he decided he didn't want to know what was going through his enemies' sick heads anymore.

The tall foe roughly tugged at Eli's hands and there was a click when one side of his handcuffs was opened. Loker's body slumped as he struggled to keep standing, overcome by exhaustion and the freezing temperature of the water. He was pushed towards the grate, collapsing to his knees against the metal crisscross design and turning back to his captors. Immediately, the tall one closed the open half of his handcuffs around a grate bar and stepped away from Eli. With one last glance over their prisoner, the two men turned and returned to the lone ladder that led up into the dark alleyway they had parked in. Eli watched them go, sitting in a couple feet of numbing cold liquid and trying to calm the bubbling of rising terror in his chest. They were leaving him here? Stuck to a grate in a way that only allowed him to sit? And that was in icy rain drainage, at that. His throat stung as he attempted to call out, but all that he heard was a labored sigh of air. Eli's eyes filled with tears while he watched the men disappear up through the manhole and then conceal the opening, trapping him inside...alone...cold...and hopeless...

* * *

Ria fumbled nervously with the keys in her hand. Even though she had agreed to search Eli's apartment, she couldn't keep herself from mumbling a string of complaints. Still, this was about Eli and his safety, not her selfish discomfort.

The door creaked slightly as she pushed it open and Ria took her first illegal step into his apartment. Everything was so...Eli. His guitar was leaned against the couch in his living room and random articles of clothing littered various pieces of furniture. An empty Styrofoam cup of instant noodles, accompanied by a lone can of soda, sat on the coffee table. The television remote also lay abandoned by his last meal, actually developing dust. Ria noticed a pillow and blanket on the couch and an expression of confusion flitted across her face. Why he sleep on the couch? It's not as if his bedroom was that far away.

Slyly, she closed the front door, stepping further into the apartment. Her gaze caught on the cork board hung on his wall, drawing her towards the tacked on papers. There was a copy of his work schedule for, what she suspected, was his second job. It was only for the week and small notes were made where he had traded shifts with somebody or added another six hours of work to his day off. She leaned in closer to observe it more thoroughly, her eyebrows raising as she studied the hours. Adding_ that_ job to what Lightman required was enough to kill a man; no wonder Josh was so worried about Eli dying from overwork. Quite possibly, it explained Eli's lack of effort to go to bed after eating.

Ria pulled her gaze away from the work schedule to read other little notes pinned to the board. In bright red and capital letters was the deadline to pay his rent and a small, handwritten reminder from Josh to eat and sleep. What struck her as odd was the receipt with an intersection scribbled on the pack. It, seemingly, had no meaning, but she might as well check it out; she couldn't be too careful in a situation like this one. She unstuck it from the board and stared at it for a moment before moving on with her search, the receipt still clutched in her hand. There was nothing in the kitchen, and that included food. Maybe she could persuade Lightman to write Eli at least _one_ check; _something_ to pay for a few good meals. His bedroom and bathroom produced the same results: nothing. All she had to go with was the intersection, and she hardly knew if that was anything helpful.

It was worth a try.

* * *

Eli couldn't keep his teeth from chattering. The water level was slowly rising, as well as the speed of the current, only making his position worse. His handcuffed hand hung limply against the grate, the cold metal of the cuffs cutting into his skin. He'd given up on trying to find some way to escape and now sat defeated in the chilly water, trying to lead his mind from the idea of his death. Eli couldn't find any other outcome for this kind of situation; this boss of theirs didn't seem like the type to have a conscience. But, if he was somehow rescued or escaped, he would want to know the name of one of the guys...anything would do. An old name faintly swam in his head, but his mind struggled to recognize it. It started with an 'm;' he remembered that. M....Mmm.....MmmcKinree! There was a click as two thoughts in his head clicked together. The leader must've been McKinree; he must've been the one his two cronies mentioned at their first encounter! He shivered as he remembered the beating. It seemed so distant and almost trivial compared to where he was now.

His muscles tightened into a shrug as the icy liquid started running past the bare skin of his neck. The water level was rising rapidly and didn't seem to have any signs of relenting.

How hard was it raining?

* * *

Cal stared out of his office window, gazing at the nearly impossibly heavy rainfall. He smirked; how fitting of weather for the team's sour mood. Like everyone else, he wished some obvious clue would come along and allow them to quickly wrap up the case and bring Eli back home.

But it was only a dream.

The broken gap in his window had been taped over with plastic to keep the rain out. Of course, this was all after Reynolds and his buddies had collected what evidence they could, which was practically nothing but broken shards of glass. Cal let out a sigh. Minutes were passing too swiftly and Eli's chances of living were getting slimmer and slimmer. They needed a break, but they just couldn't catch one.

Secretly, he was scared.

* * *

_Author's Note: Reviews...pleeeeeeeaase? :)_


	8. Smiling Luck

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing involved with the television series "Lie to Me" and I won't pretend to.**_

_Author's Note: *sigh*... This was a somewhat difficult chapter to write, not to mention I wrote it by hand while I was babysitting... Have mercy if it isn't any good! . But, I do hope you enjoy it. :) Happy Holidays (for, like, the third time. XD)!  
_

* * *

**8. Smiling Luck**

Ria glanced around searchingly as she drove past the intersection indicated on the receipt. She didn't know what she was looking for, but she hoped that she'd know when she saw it. Not that she could see much, as her windshield wipers were moving as fast as possible, but rain still poured over the glass surface. Plus, it was starting to get dark outside. Her squinting eyes caught on a peculiar color and she slowed to get a better look at the vehicle: orange with rust creeping up on the metal. It certainly was a sight, but it was probably no more than a warehouse worker's junk on wheels. Ria exhaled a disappointed breath. Besides the car, there was nothing out of the ordinary. Perhaps it was time for another call to Josh. She pulled up to the side of the empty road, retrieving her phone from the cup holder beside her.

Ria had brought Josh's number with her, just in case, but she didn't actually think she'd use it. She glanced at the numbers on the paper, using the overhead light for assistance, and pressed the various buttons on her phone. It started ringing even before she pressed the device to her ear.

"Hello?" Josh answered, sounding as if he was trying to perk up his weary voice.

"Hey, Josh, this is Ria Torres again." Ria mumbled apologetically, staring out at the darkening sky and buckets of rain.

"Any news?" he inquired eagerly, and she could tell he was holding his breath.

"Actually, Eli has...He's gone missing." she replied, wishing she didn't have to tell him. There was a pause as Josh quietly lamented the new condition of his friend and Torres mourned being the deliverer of ill news. "But..." She hesitated, hoping her next request wasn't too much for Eli's grieving ex-roommate. "Is there _anything_ else you can tell me? Did he mention anything about meeting someone somewhere? At an intersection, maybe?" she asked, praying for new info.

"No, he never mentioned an intersection or meeting anybody." Josh confessed solemnly, heaving a sorrowful sigh. "He didn't say too much about anything, to tell you the truth. He asked me a few times if the cops had found my car yet, but he seemed relieved when I told him 'no.' It's ridiculous, really; it's not like it's difficult to spot. For Pete's sake, it's an old, orange crap car! They should've—"

"Wait, did you just say it was an old, orange car?" Ria questioned anxiously, her breath catching.

"Yeah, as old as any orange car can come." Josh explained. "Why?" Ria almost wanted to laugh with glee at her success and pulled a U-turn as soon as she could get her hand firmly on the wheel. She_ had_ to head back to the outrageously-colored vehicle.

"I think Eli knew where your car was."

* * *

"What's taking Torres?" Cal growled impatiently. He was repeatedly watching his interrogation tapes of Loker in hopes of catching a look, a word, or an action that meant something. But, all he could get was that Loker's mind was in a panicked jumble and his emotions were in painful knots. Gillian was observing the clips with him at his request, but she doubted she'd be able to catch whatever snuck past Cal. She was too emotionally compromised to perform at her best, and her best was what it took to catch up to Cal's worst. Not that she was horribly bad, she liked to fancy herself as rather talented in recognizing signs of lying and reading human behavior; it was just that Cal was _that good_.

"Maybe she's doing a thorough search of Eli's apartment." she replied, wincing at the thought of having to invade Eli's ultimate personal space.

"I need something else to work with." Cal whined. "_We _need something else..." He sighed and pushed his hands in his pockets. This was getting too hard to follow Loker's trail; the footsteps were disappearing.

As if it were an answer to a silent prayer, Cal's phone rang with 'Ria Torres' flashing across the screen.

"What've you got, Torres?" he answered, his brow furrowed with seriousness.

"I've found the jackpot." she replied.

* * *

Ria was well-pleased with her findings. Lightman had seemed to be as well, despite his bored drawl. She'd called Reynolds before her own boss so he could come investigate with her. Now, she was waiting for the agent in her car, gazing at the glassy waterfall of rain on her windshield. Man, was it pouring! Probably one of the worse storms she'd ever seen. There was even the occasional lightning and thunder to dramatize the downpour.

A familiar black SUV pulled up beside her car, being none other than Ben Reynolds himself. She snatched the umbrella that sat in the passenger's seat and opened her door to stretch open the waterproof fabric and metal frame. Swiftly, she left the warmth and dryness of her vehicle, with the rain-resistant contraption overhead, just as Ben jogged towards her with his own umbrella.

"What's the big news, Torres?" he shouted over the heavy splashing of rain in growing puddles.

"I think Eli was looking for his friend's car, but found more to it." she replied loudly as they headed towards the abandoned automobile.

"Then, why would he investigate by himself?" Ben questioned, puzzled. Ria paused in thought.

"I'm still figuring that out." she confessed. They stared at the peeling orange paint with a sigh, contemplating what they look at first. There was a sudden sound of a kick against metal, making their heads snap in the direction of the noise. Two men were beginning to emerge from the warehouse with a bucket clutched in the leaner man's hand, but both stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of Ria and Ben.

"Don't move!" Ben ordered, dropping his umbrella and whipping his gun from its holster. The chubby fellow immediately raised his hands in surrender while the tall one merely stiffened. Ben slowly moved closer, trying to get a better look at them all the while.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, keeping his gun steady. He wasn't close enough to see their faces clearly, as it was dark and the only light to go by was mounted on the warehouse wall behind the men. When they didn't answer Ben's question, the agent was peeved.

"Turn around...slowly!" Reynolds commanded. As they twisted around, the light hit their faces, causing Ben's eyes to grow wide with recognition.

They were the men that kidnapped Eli.

* * *

Eli struggled to pull himself up on the grate. His muscles twitched with the effort, but it was necessary; the water was still rising, and if he continued to sit, he would most assuredly be stuck under the rushing water. To add, he had to grip onto the grate just to keep himself from steadily being pulled away and forcing the handcuff to bite its way deeper into his skin. He couldn't stand up straight, which made the strain on his muscles worse, but it was better than risk being drowned. Eli grimaced as the bruises throbbed on his body and his chest pained dully with each breath.

Was he going to die in this tunnel?

* * *

"Tell me where Eli Loker is." Cal demanded, leaning on the metal table as he stared at his subject: a tall man wearing a dark expression. His name was Kenneth Finster, and he had a pretty sizable rap sheet. He was silent too, which made it hard to really get anything out of him; not to mention his constant blank stare that made it difficult to read him.

"Tell me where he is!" Lightman shouted, fed up with repeating himself for the millionth time. Mr. Finster smirked evilly, inciting true fury within Cal. He stood up straight and clenched his fists to try and calm the rage tingling at his fingers. He twisted to look at the one way glass, his eyebrows stitched together in frustration.

"We're getting nowhere with him." he told his team on the other side, who nodded in agreement, despite the fact that Dr. Lightman couldn't see them. Abruptly, Cal left the main interrogation room, heading to his office to cool his head. This whole ordeal had him on a short fuse and his stressed mind was easily agitated and jumbled from his irritation.

Back in the analysis room, the team shrugged as they looked at each other inquiringly.

"I'll get the other guy; he seemed a little more willing to talk." Reynolds sighed as he headed out of the room. Ria slumped in her chair and stared at Loker's desk sadly. He should _be there_. He should be frustrated _with the rest of them_. Hopefully, they hadn't left him somewhere in the rain; he'd probably develop hypothermia.

He's was probably in a dry room, at least. Ria could find comfort in that thought.

* * *

There was virtually no part of Eli that could avoid the treacheries of the freezing rain water. All that could save themselves from the icy liquid was his one hand, gripped to the higher part of the grate, and his head. He was trying to pull his upper body higher, but his handcuffed hand prevented the attempt. Eli didn't know the metal ring was digging into his wrist more, since his body was numb from cold, and he didn't care. He was trying to keep himself from drowning and cursed his captors for having so cruelly trapped him in a very dangerous position. Eli had originally thought they were supposed to keep him alive for their boss, but not that his circumstances were worsening up to the point of probable death, he denied such an idea. If only the taller of the two had hooked the handcuff to a higher bar of the grate, Eli supposed he would have quite a bit more time to contemplate his death.

He was going to die...

He was terrified...

And there was nothing he could do.

All that was left for him to fill his time was to watch the water rise and leave his lungs stinging as he thought about how they would be filled with water in his near future. How would his team take it once they found his dead body? _Would_ they find his body? Would they even miss him? Sure, Lightman could sometimes seem a little uncaring and Torres might not have the patience required for him...not to mention Reynolds's looks of distaste, but they would miss him. Yeah, they totally would. Eli forced his thoughts away from how painfully awful his demise would be. Josh would miss him, right? And Evin and Dave... How was heaven? Would he go to heaven? Oh, he prayed he would. If hell was anything like what he was experiencing now, he _definitely_ opted for the pearly gates. Hopefully he wouldn't end up as some ghost that had to roam around aimlessly. Although, if he could haunt people, that would be well in his favor.

The water rushed past him, now starting to tickle his raised chin.

Help.

* * *

"Look, I don't know anything!" protested the fat man, known as a Mr. Collin Peppers.

"You're lyin' to me! Tell me the _truth_!" Cal commanded, now on the edge of his emotions. It had been a long day, but it had felt like an entire month of worry and fear.

"I-I-I don't know!" Peppers repeated, shrugging and pulling his limbs in tighter.

"You're a lousy liar." Cal commented, his voice calmer as he shook his head. "Where is Eli Loker?"

"I told you: I don't know anything!" the culprit denied.

"Alright, then I guess you won't mind going to prison." Cal mumbled, putting his hands in his pockets casually. He knew Peppers was frightened and nervous, and he would use it to his advantage.

"You can't do that! You don't have any proof I did anything!" Peppers yelled, a small smile tugging at his lips from his own realization.

"Well, we'll see what Mandy Casey has to say about it." Cal said, looking intently into his subject's eyes. Peppers' face fell, sweat beading on his face. "She's just waitin' in our lobby. Her story's gonna be a li'l different from yours, isn't it?" Cal paused for dramatic effect and turned his body partly around. "Well, you had your chance. Good luck, Mr. Peppers." He started to walk away, mentally counting down in his head. It was only a matter of time before...

"Wait!" Peppers called after him. "I-I'll tell you where your guy is! Just...just cut some of my jail time!" Cal turned, determination set on his guise.

"Where is he?"

* * *

_Author's Note: I hope that was pretty good. :) Leave me some reviews? :D Please and thank you!_


	9. Dead or Alive

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing involved with the television series "Lie to Me" and I won't pretend to.**_

_Author's Note: Sorry for the wait, everybody. . The holiday season really ties people up and I am one of that crowd... Anywho, I hope you like this next chapter. :) Now, read, to your heart's desire...  
_

* * *

**9. Dead or Alive**

Eli shivered as his mind flooded with his impending death. He'd already been dunked underwater, due from the sheer weakness of his muscles to keep his head above water. Of course, he quickly pulled himself back up from the icy liquid, his one unbound hand having a death grip on the higher area of the grate.

It wasn't going to last.

* * *

Gillian was tossed around the passenger seat; but, she didn't care. Cal was driving, the adrenaline pulsing through his veins as he swerved and screeched around traffic and corners. Reynolds did the same behind them, his lights flashing to clear what traffic he could for their ridiculous speed.

Peppers had admitted to hiding Eli in the storm sewers and, after some very forceful urging from Cal, told them the exact location. Lightman didn't wait for Peppers to say anything else, as he rushed from the interrogation room with his keys already pulled from his pocket. Gillian followed him to his car while Torres went with Reynolds, forming the speeding Save-Eli-Loker Brigade.

Both cars came to abrupt stop, the wheels sliding through a few puddles. Ben was the first to the manhole cover, wrenching it off as fast as he could. The four of the team stared down to a dark abyss, listening to the rushing rain water that had collected throughout the day. Reynolds took out his flashlight, turning it on and pointing it down into the black storm sewer. They gazed at the rapid flow, their breath lodging in their chests.

"Should we call search and rescue?" Gillian asked frantically, glancing at each of her partners.

"I don't think there's time for that." Reynolds grumbled, pulling off his suit jacket.

"What d'you think you're doing?" Cal inquired, looking at him like he was a lunatic.

"Somebody's got to go down there." Ben huffed, stepping onto the first step of the ladder. Cal sighed irritably, but he didn't protest; he knew that Ben might be the only one to be able to wade through the strong current successfully.

"Good luck!" Ria said as they all watched the agent descend into the darkness, the small flashlight in his mouth

He jumped down into the river of rain, the water reaching up to his chest. If that was the case, then Eli should be fine, right?

"Loker!" he shouted, hoping for an answer.

* * *

Eli was underwater. He couldn't fight against the rising water anymore; it had finally overtaken him. His lungs could only hold his breath so long, but he knew his doom was coming. Even so, his hand still gripped onto the grate, his body expressing its wishful thinking to live on. He was going to die, and Eli panicked.

* * *

"Loker!" Reynolds repeated, moving his flashlight in different directions. He had to be in here...Peppers mentioned something about handcuffing Eli to a grate, and Ben remembered grabbing the keys from his buddy, Mr. Finster. His flashlight swept over the area again. Wait, what was that? He moved the light back to what he thought was a grate; his hunch was right.

There was a hand.

A hand that wound itself through the grate bars, but there was nothing else. Nothing else was out of the water.

"Loker!" Reynolds yelled in terror, wading through the water as fast as he was allowed, the glow from the flashlight never leaving the lone hand. The quick flow fought against Ben's movement, almost as if it was trying to keep him away from the grate. It didn't matter; he was _definitely_ going to get there.

The hand slipped from its grasp, sending the last piece of Eli Loker into the water.

"No!" Reynolds cursed, pushing harder against the force of collected rain. If nature was going to fight, he was going to push back. One of them was going to come out the victor, and it better be Ben.

His sheer determination brought him to the grate, though much slower than he would've liked. He felt something against his leg and flinched away automatically, then realized it was probably Loker. Ben sifted his hands through the water until they grasped onto the body, trying to pull it up, but something kept that from happening. Reynolds brushed his hands over the grate until he came upon Loker's bound hand and used his own hand to retrieve the much needed cuff keys from his pants pocket. His fingers wound around them tightly, definitely not wanting to lose them to the swift rush of water. The key struggled to find the lock and Ben started shivering from the stress.

He had to get the handcuff off, but he wasn't going fast enough.

Finally, the key found its way into the lock and Ben wasted no time twisting it to open the handcuffs and sending Eli free. Of course, Reynolds kept a firm hand around Loker's wrist to keep him from being dragged away from the current. Ben found Eli's chest and wrapped a tight arm around it to force Eli's upper body out of the water.

Ben knew Eli wasn't breathing.

He had to get back to the rest of the team. His flashlight shone towards the ladder; his goal. It was much easier to get to the ladder, as he no longer had to fight against the push of rain water.

"Hey!" Reynolds called.

"Oi!" Lightman replied, peeking through the opening. Ben dragged Eli with him up the ladder, then pushed the unpaid intern up through the hole, grunting with the effort.

"He's...not breathing...!" Reynolds informed the team between gulps of air. Cal immediately processed this information and laid Eli flat on the cold, wet ground. Torres was at his side in an instant, eager to help. Cal started doing chest compressions, mumbling quiet encouragements and prayers. Every time he paused, Ria did mouth-to-mouth. Any other day, she would've thought this situation awkward; but now that she was experiencing it, she didn't care how odd a memory it may be: just as long as Eli lived.

Compressions.

Breaths.

Compressions.

Breaths.

Would this really work? They _wanted _this to work; they _needed _this to work. But, why was it taking so long? Why wasn't he coming back to them?

Compressions.

Breaths.

Compressions.

...Cough.

Cough? They looked at each other, then back at Eli.

A small cough escaped him, but it was soon followed by a serious of splutters until he turned to his side to spit out the water in his lungs. The team couldn't believe it; he was _alive_. Sure, coughing like he was about to hack up a lung, but he was _breathing_; he was _alive_.

"Ah, geez...oh my gosh..." Gillian gasped, putting a hand to her collar bone as her body relieved itself of fear and horror.

"Loker, are you okay?" Ria asked frantically, putting a hand on Eli's shoulder as he continued to cough and splutter. He laid flat on his back, closing his eyes tightly as he took a few deep breaths.

"I...don't know..." he whispered. He was disoriented; he was stressed; he was unsure of what to think. Was he dead? Or was he alive? He didn't know: nothing really seemed to add up. It didn't matter though; he passed out soon after his lungs had expelled the rain water, leaving him peaceful and worry free...for the moment.

* * *

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Whatever that noise was, it could easily be labeled as annoying. At least, Eli thought so. With that sort of maddening repetitive sound, he was sure he was in hell. Or he could be alive...but how could he be alive? The odds were against him; he had to have died.

His eyes shifted beneath their lids and he slowly opened them, expecting to see the devil as well as fire and brimstone. Holy crap! The devil looked _exactly _like Lightman! He knew there was some sort of sly evil in that boss of his...

"Oi, Torres; he's awake!" Cal called to his protégé, causing Eli to slide his eyes in her direction. Oh...so, then....he _was_ alive. Okay, that's not so bad.

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

The beeping was a sure sign he was alive, as it was keeping track of his heart rate. Eli supposed he had never really noticed how irritating the sound of life was.

"I'm so glad you're awake!" Gillian exclaimed, and Loker now noticed her leaning over Lightman's shoulder. "You had us worried sick!"

"Are you feeling okay?" Torres inquired. Eli wasn't quite sure if he could handle so many people talking to him at once, let alone three people staring down at him. They were totally invading his personal space.

"I...I guess I feel okay." he finally croaked.

"Good, 'cause you look awful." Lightman assured him, wearing one of his pained looks.

"I'm still..." Eli cleared his throat. "So...I'm not dead?" The team glanced at each other.

"No, Reynolds pulled you out of the storm sewer. Don't you remember?" Ria asked. Eli paused as he tried to think back to the scene. He remembered being on the ground of the alleyway, clearing his lungs of all the water; but, he originally suspected it to be a wishful dream.

"Wow..." he whispered, looking at their three faces. "I made it out..."

"You didn't think we'd completely abandon you, did you?" Cal questioned, looking nearly offended by the thought.

"Nah..." Eli sighed, his eyes burning as his mind replayed his struggles in the storm sewer, along with his experience with his captors. "I just...I just didn't think you'd make it in time." He stared off into space, his guise forming into an expression of pain and anguish.

"McKinree." he suddenly said, his voice shaking.

"What?" Gillian replied, looked puzzled.

"McKinree...the name...the boss...that's his name..." Loker mumbled, squeezing his eyes shut and shaking his head.

"The boss is named McKinree?" Cal asked, suddenly alert, as were the other two of the team.

"The guys that...that took me; he's their boss." Eli answered, torment bleeding through to his features. "But, he said he was leaving somewhere...that's why they...that's why the left me in the sewer." Cal glanced around, seeming to find himself in a predicament. He had more information and he needed to take it back to The Lightman Group; but he also had to be here with his employee.

"Get out of here!" Eli pressed, though weakly, still being able to read his coworker's faces, despite his dulled down senses. "Go find McKinree." They stared at him, amazed that he wasn't bothered by their upcoming absence.

"Are you sure...?" Gillian muttered.

"I'm pretty sure." Eli answered, swallowing as he envisioned himself alone again. He didn't want them to go, but he still understood there were more important things to do. "Go, get out of here..." The team started, ready to leave, until they turned back abruptly to look at Eli, who was now colorless and looked rather unhealthy.

"Get better." Lightman commanded before the three of them left the room.

They didn't see the shadowy figure as they passed by.

* * *

_Author's Note: Oh my! The foreshadowing, the foreshadowing... Will you please leave review? :) Can you find it within your hearts to post a few words of what you think? :D Happy Holidays!_


	10. Serious Issues

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing involved with the television series "Lie to Me" and I won't pretend to._**

_Author's Note: Oh my goodness, Christmas was fantastic. :) And...I hope you guys didn't want this story to end soon... :/ Because, I've decided to throw it on another adventure. XD Poor Eli... He probably hates me by now. :P Anyway, I hope you enjoy this next chapter. Please leave reviews and tell me what you think! :)  
_

* * *

**10. Serious Issues**

"Are you sure Eli will be alright by himself?" Gillian asked worriedly as she followed behind Cal. Torres and Reynolds had already split off to run 'McKinree' through the system after interrogating his two cronies a second time to get their boss's full name.

"Well...no, I don't. But, he's going to have to if he wants us to find answers." Cal replied truthfully, somewhat growling his response. This case made him uncomfortable, and rightfully so. Eli was like the harmless teenager of the group; he didn't belong in the bloodthirsty sights of thugs. The team just wanted this all to be over.

"He'll be fine, love." Cal assured her, stopping in the hall to put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure the hospital will keep him safe, and, remember, Reynolds ordered some agents to head over there."

His cell phone rang, earning an irritated sigh from Cal. It better not be a pointless call or the phone may not survive Cal's frustration and anger.

"Lightman." he answered gruffly. He listened as a frantic voice spoke on the other end, sounding like a fast-forwarding tape.

"_What_?" Cal hissed, alarm welling up within Gillian. "How could he possibly _disappear_?! Shouldn't you people be watching him?" Cal was mad, Gillian could see that. She looked a little closer, studying her partner's surprisingly expressive face. He was also... frightened? No, that couldn't be right. They had already gotten Finster and Peppers, and they had both told Reynolds and Torres that McKinree wouldn't be back in D.C. for the next couple of days. Unless...

McKinree had connections.

Gillian tried to keep calm, telling herself it was possible that Cal wasn't talking about Eli. But, really? Who else _could_ he be talking about? If the call wasn't urgent, she suspected Cal would have already hung up and she was quite certain he was focused on nothing but Eli's case.

They had originally thought McKinree as a sort of low ranking criminal: partially organized in his dealings, an almost non-existent circle of connections, and not very careful in covering his tracks. But, if he had possibly found someone else to abduct Eli for a second time, was he much more dangerous than they had originally thought? If it _was_ him, he was well-informed. There was a slim window of time for Eli to have been taken from the hospital, and it was risky, no doubt. Ben's agents should've been there not long after they had left, so the abductor must've been watching; just like when Eli was taken the first time. Were there more people involved than just McKinree? Was this bigger than they expected? Then again, Gillian still wasn't sure if Cal was talking about Loker over the phone. She shouldn't jump to conclusions.

"We'll be right there." Cal said in farewell, snapping his phone shut. Gillian realized she had zoned out during most of his conversation with the caller. She looked at him with pleading eyes, hoping for it to be somebody, anybody, else.

"He's gone, Gil. Somebody's got him." Cal conveyed sorrowfully.

* * *

Eli couldn't believe it. His emotions were splitting between two different extremes: terror and frustration. He almost thought this was some sort of nightmare, the way this all seemed to be going. _Just_ as he gets rescued, survives drowning and lands safely in the hospital...he's thrust back into the suffocating grip of danger. Even so, his fear soon drowned out any other emotions when the reality of his situation finally hit him. If this was karma, what had he done so wrong?

Right now, he was being tossed around in the back of an old car, his hands tied with a zip tie. His new captor was a terrible driver, and he had to suffer for it with motion sickness and the dangers from the absence of a seatbelt. When he had first seen her enter his hospital room in scrubs and a doctor's coat, he was confused and surprised. He actually believed he was hallucinating from whatever the nurses were giving him.

It was the clerk from the mini mart.

Eli never suspected he would see her again; he didn't even know her name. But, he recognized her, and that's why it didn't quite register when she pulled the curtains around his bed and withdrew a gun from her coat. She tossed him the bag she had in her other hand and told him to get dressed...quickly. The clerk at least had the decency to look away while he put on the clothes she'd thrown him: scrubs. After she swiftly checked to make sure no one was watching, they slipped into the crowd of bustling employees of the hospital, blending in perfectly. He was still trying to figure out how she disconnected the heart rate monitor and such without alarming the nurse's bay.

As soon as they had gotten out to her beat up, old car, she tightly applied to zip tie around his wrists, pressing on the bandage over the already tender skin from the handcuffs. Plus, when the pain meds wore off, all his bruises and injuries began to throb again, especially after sliding around in the back seat of her car.

Eli was in a daze, shocked by his ill fortune. How was she connected anyway? He thought she was just a bystander... When he read her at their last meeting, her emotions seemed genuine; she didn't seem like a bad person.

She glanced up at the review mirror, seeing how green Eli was from motion sickness.

"If you puke in my car, I _will_ shoot you." she threatened, frowning.

"W-why?" Eli managed to get out, just before being slammed into the door from a sharp turn.

"Why what? Why did I kidnap you?" she scoffed. "Surprise, surprise! I'm worse than you're old friend McKinree. I kidnapped you because my boss said so, and he's a powerful guy." Eli swallowed loudly, sweat beading his face. He glanced at the door beside him as the woman obediently stopped at a stoplight.

It was unlocked.

His tied hands pulled on the handle, opening the door and causing him to collapse onto the concrete just outside it. He grunted as his shoulder came in contact with the hard surface, but then he quickly tried to get up and run from the danger.

"Hey!" she called after him. He could hear the tires screeching as she followed him in the car. Unfortunately, they were in a quieter part of town, leaving him with little help to run to. All he could do now was sprint and he went as fast as he could. He turned into an alleyway, hoping to escape the vehicle for a moment. But, to his dismay, she got out of her car and ran after him on foot, her gun in hand. His breaths were getting too short for running as panic tightened his chest and made it difficult to keep out of her reach. She raised the gun as they went deeper into an alleyway, Eli's face twisting into regret.

_Bang_!

* * *

"You saw _nothing_?" Ben inquired from one of the nurses who shook her head.

"We're pretty busy around here, so we rush from one place to the next." she squeaked. "We've never had this before; we didn't know we were supposed to watch out for anything."

"That's okay, ma'am. Thank you for your time." Ben sighed. He headed back to Lightman and Dr. Foster on the other side of the hospital room. Both of them looked worried in their own way, but said nothing as Ben and Torres went around asking a few questions. This was a _second_ time they had failed Eli, and Ben couldn't remember a time he felt so worthless in his job. This time, whoever had taken Eli was more careful. Hospital cameras caught the culprit on tape and they knew it was a woman, but she had strategically avoided showing her face to the camera and there were no witnesses to see her enter into Eli's room. What Ben wanted to do was grab a chair and throw it through a window because of how horribly awry Eli's case had gone. It took so much time and effort to get Eli back into their hands and he was so easily taken back out of them. Ben regretted not waiting for the other agents before leaving the hospital; if he had done that, would Eli still be okay? Where in heaven's name was he now?

"We better bloody find the git who did this." Cal snarled, his concern coming out as anger.

* * *

"You did it to yourself." the woman huffed as she tugged Eli back to her old car, looking cautiously around her all the while. "Geez, I hope it rains..." Eli's blood smeared across the concrete as she dragged him along and he pressed the wound with hands to try and slow the bleeding.

She'd shot him!

He tried not to focus on how much blood he was losing and instead tried to think of other means of escape or survival. The adrenaline pumping through his system dulled the fresh pain in his leg and nearly confused his mind and senses. He was frantic, but he didn't want to get shot again. For now, he'd try and stay quiet.

"Don't try anything." she ordered, roughly closing the back door.

* * *

"We need to find McKinree." Reynolds stated, even though the thought was already running through the team's mind. They were meeting in Lightman's office to try and find other venues to rescue Eli for the second time. There weren't any new resources and the ones they already had were used up. Peppers and Finster had nothing more to say and there wasn't anything found at the scene of the crime. The team was beginning to fear Eli was lost.

Cal almost jumped as his phone buzzed against the surface of his desk. He didn't feel like talking right now, especially since every call he had received in the past couple of days were bad news. Despite his lack of enthusiasm, he picked up the phone and answered it.

"Lightman." he droned, waiting for someone to tell him they'd found Eli's dead body somewhere.

_"We have your guy." _said a voice; a woman's voice. Cal sat up straight in his chair, immediately alert and glancing between his colleagues. They stiffened from his reaction, all suspecting that maybe Eli _was _dead.

"Why? What did he do?" Cal asked, concentrating on the voice from the other end, hoping for answers from the tone alone.

_"Well, it sure looks like he's gotten some of _our_ guys in trouble. We'll consent to a trade; we'll give you back Eli Loker if you let us have Peppers and Finster as well as letting McKinree go free. I say that's a pretty good deal; it'd be smart to take it." _the woman explained.

"Who are you talkin' about when you say 'we?'" Cal inquired.

_"Why don't you think about it? We'll be in touch."_ she replied, just before hanging up the phone. Cal continued to hold the phone to his ear, even after she was gone, and looked at Gillian.

"What is it? Who was that?" she shot off, hugging herself for personal comfort.

"They have Eli." Cal whispered.

* * *

_Author's Note: Oh no! What poor luck Eli has... Reviews, please! :D_


	11. Without a Trace?

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing involved with the television series "Lie to Me" and I won't pretend to._**

_Author's Note: Oh my goodness, people! I'm sorry it's been so long... I suppose I got caught up in a number of things over break, including this new year! Happy New Year! This chapter is a bit shorter than usual...but I hope you enjoy it! XD Thanks for all the reviews and support too; I really appreciate it. :) Now, read...then review, please. ;P  
_

* * *

**11. Without a Trace?**

Cal had been pacing for the past half an hour. Gillian watched with anxious eyes, glancing every now and then at his phone while Ben and Ria wore somber expressions as they stared at the floor. Ben had set up a means to track the next call, but they weren't sure it would help anything. The team was so tired, since it was extremely late, but they knew they wouldn't be able to sleep.

They couldn't just release criminals so easy; or, at least, without consequence. But, it was either release the crooks or sacrifice Eli in order to keep them. None of them were certain they could allow Eli to die in order to put the fiends in prison. They knew Eli was probably depending on them to get him out of this mess. Yet...could they?

* * *

"They'll never let your guys go." Eli threatened, fighting off the weariness that had blanketed him. He was huddled in a corner, his hands zip tied together as well as his legs. The woman had done a sorry patch job for his gunshot injury; but, surely, it was much better than nothing. Granted, he was very dizzy indeed, yet he was alive and kicking. Maybe not kicking, but he was definitely alive.

"Isn't it about time you call Lightman?" a stranger asked, sharpening his knife and using it to clean the filth from his fingernails. The woman sighed irritably, but obediently dialed the number of the good Dr. Lightman.

Eli swallowed loudly and blinked as he attempted to fight off the invasion of unconsciousness.

* * *

_Ring ring! _Ben readied himself to trace the call, nodding to Cal to pick up the phone.

Cal snatched up the phone and answered it quickly, his mouth going dry.

"Lightman." he said briskly.

_"Change your mind yet?"_ replied the female voice on the other end.

"How do I know that Mr. Loker's alright?" Cal asked casually, trying to act unbothered by the situation at hand. Of course, he was very bothered, but he didn't want his adversaries to think he was easily following their plan. As long as Eli was okay, he could afford to play around with his foes. Plus, they needed more time to find the location they hid themselves at.

_"Lightman?" _mumbled Eli's familiar voice, sounding weak and tired.

"Loker? Are you alright?" Cal inquired quickly, eager to know that he was in good condition.

_"I'm...I'm okay." _Eli responded, but Lightman could hear the lie in his voice, not to mention the fear and pain too.

_"Enough talk. You know he's alive; that's good enough." _ The woman was back on the line, sounding impatient. _"Now, what about Finster and Peppers?"_

"You won't get them back until you return Mr. Loker." Cal bargained, pursing his lips in seriousness. Gillian looked troubled by this offered deal, silently praying it wouldn't anger the captors and cause them to kill Eli needlessly. She wasn't sure if they were dealing with logical criminals, or crooks that indulged their every whim. Could they find worth in keeping Eli alive, or would his death prove more...gratifying to them?

_"Then maybe I'll trade his corpse for Peppers and Finster's release. At least you'll have something to bury."_ the woman threatened, making Cal's heart leap in his chest. _"He's annoying anyway."_

"Tell you what," Cal offered, rubbing his chin with his free hand. "We'll meet you for a fair trade."

_"Not a chance." _the woman snarled. _"Your FBI friend will bring his buddies." _Cal bit his lip in thought.

_"You better decide soon, 'cause I don't think your guy's gonna be breathing any longer." _the woman huffed. _"I'll give you until morning to decide."_

_ Click._

Cal removed the phone from his ear hesitantly, then glared at it unintentionally. The stress was building and the dwindling time sure wasn't helping.

"Get anything?" he asked Ben, who shook his had despairingly.

"Just a bit too short." he sighed. "I almost had it." Cal suspected the crooks knew just how long they could speak without being traced.

A message popped up in the corner of Cal's computer screen, catching his eye. A new email from...anonymous? What did that mean? He clicked on it, curious as to what was inside, despite the swirling tension of Eli's case. The window holding his email account rose up to the screen and he proceeded to view the mentioned email. He flinched back at the sight of the contents, turning away entirely and running a hand through his hair.

"What? What is it?" Ria inquired, seeing the alarm in her boss's guise. She hurried over to the monitor, stiffening at the image that came before her eyes.

It was a photo of Eli, bound and stuck in a corner of a room. He stared at the camera defiantly, notwithstanding the blood staining a good portion of his jeans and floor.

"For the love of..." Ria trailed off, her mind drowning in frantic ideas to find the culprits and her partner.

* * *

Eli had his eyes closed, leaning against the concrete wall. He was so still, most would think him asleep, but he still listened to the quiet shuffling of his captors, waiting for something...anything.

"Ah, he's dead asleep." the man sighed. "Let's get something to eat." Eli's heart pumped anxiously inside him as he awaited her answer. There was silence and he suspected she was studying him most thoroughly.

"Alright, fine." she muttered. "Just remember to lock the door." Their footsteps faded away and the door closed, followed by the sound of a turning lock. Eli's eyes snapped open, glancing around nervously. They were gone..._gone_ for once. He was relieved, excited, pleased. It was the best thing that had happened to him in the past couple of days and nothing could measure to his joy at that point. There wasn't much to worry about here, except for the hole in his leg. No rising water, no bad guys, no guns. As far as he was concerned, he was in heaven. He shifted in his spot, stretching the numbness from his limbs for lack of movement in the past hour or so. Again, his eyes ran over the room absentmindedly, but caught on a dark lump sitting on a wood box.

The woman's coat.

He remembered her having put her phone in her pocket and he prayed that it still sat inside it. The trouble was hoping he wouldn't get caught for using her phone. He scooted towards the coat, since it wasn't that far away and retrieved the phone from the jacket. His fingers easily dialed the familiar number in his memory. He had to tell Lightman what he knew, he just had to. Eli put the device to his ear and waited...and waited...

* * *

The team couldn't go home to sleep. There was too much to think about and they needed to put their heads together to form a plan. It was just...a plan never came to mind.

_Ring! Ring!_

Cal wanted to smash the phone with frustration; their time couldn't have been up. It was only the wee hours of the morning; surely, that wasn't what the mystery woman had meant. Even so, Ben was ready to try and trace the call a second time.

"Lightman." Cal huffed into the reciever.

_"Lightman, don't let their guys go." _Eli pleaded quietly on the other end.

"Eli?" Cal replied, puzzled. The team straightened up, suddenly alert.

_"Yeah, yeah, it's me." _Eli whispered frantically. _"Don't let their guys go, Lightman, or you'll be letting go a whole n- network of criminals."_

"A whole network?" Cal repeated.

_"I hear them talking; they d-don't plan on letting me go."_ Eli stated, taking a shuddering breath. _"They've got a boss and plenty of little cronies. They're..." _Eli suddenly went quiet.

"Eli?" Cal inquired, hoping for an answer.

_"Ssh, someone's coming." _Eli warned. Lightman could almost feel his fear with him, the way his voice was twisted with an uncomfortable tone.

"Ben, can you trace it?" Cal muttered.

"I need more time." the agent answered, scowling.

_"Is Ben tracing the call?" _Eli asked, sounding like he had a plan.

"He's trying to." Lightman growled. Every attempt at success was foiled, it seemed, and it was getting on Cal's nerves.

_"Keep quiet, don't hang up." _Eli hissed.

* * *

Eli shoved the phone back in the coat pocket and scooted back to his corner, acting like he was stretching. The door unlocked and opened abruptly as the woman stepped in, soon stopping as she saw her captive awake.

"What're you doing?" she asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"I'm just getting some of my jitters out." he told her simply, suppressing the terror and anxiety in his chest. "I thought you guys had left for good."

"I forgot my coat." she spat, sounding irritated.

"It is cold out there." Eli muttered, trying to cover up his nervousness as she retrieved the coat from the box. Thankfully, she didn't think to check the phone in her pocket, but turned back to exit the room.

"We'll be back; so don't try anything." she ordered, leaving him alone again.

A new hope blossomed in his heart as he listened to her footsteps fading away. There was a possibility of surviving this; that is, if she doesn't need to use her phone anytime soon. Eli was very tired, but he'd done his part. Now it was time for Lightman to do his.

* * *

_Author's Note: Reviews...pleeeeeeease?_


	12. A Lost Researcher

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing involved with the television series "Lie to Me" and I won't pretend to._**

_Author's Note: Oh! Another chapter. :) Hm, this chapter was just one of those chapters that are hard to write... I hope it's not too boring. :( Well, I hope you enjoy it, I suppose. :) Thanks for the support, people! Reviews, please. :P  
_

* * *

**12. A Lost Researcher**

"I've got a location." Ben whispered importantly and Cal wasted no time rushing out of the office, the team following behind in the same brisk manner. He hung up the phone, in spite of the fact that he could dangerously lose their lead, and focused on moving into action.

"Where are they?" Cal demanded, turning sharply on a corner as the rest jogged to keep up with him.

"A small diner; I'll drive us there." Ben answered, huffing in concentration on his target. He could do this as a lone agent; he didn't suspect they would encounter very many crooks.

* * *

Eli sat quietly, his throat dry from thirst. He cracked a smile at how drastically different his two kidnappings seemed; in one, there was too much water, and the other had too little. He wasn't sure which he feared more: drowning or dying of blood loss. He was exhausted and starting to run cold, which he supposed wasn't a good sign. At least, this method of death was much more peaceful. He didn't have to foresee his choking on water and suffer through hours and hours of discomfort. All he had to do was sit still and relax. Sure, it hurt like nothing he'd ever experienced, but the pain was starting to dull down and if he sat still enough it didn't flare up too bad. His captors were gone and he prayed they wouldn't come back. If his plan had worked, he most likely didn't have to see them in that room ever again.

His eyelids slid down heavily, unable to stay open any longer. He could feel the sticky perspiration on his face, but he didn't mind it. Obviously, there were more important things to focus on, like the fact that his blood was smeared on the concrete beneath him and that he was starting to lose consciousness. He was ridiculously tired and at least he had had some purpose before his death. Eli didn't actually _believe _he was dying, but if he did, he decided that was okay. After so much practically non-stop misery in the past couple of days, perhaps he would welcome the relief of an afterlife. That is...if it was a good afterlife. He hoped they would have some form of heat, at least. Except for fire and brimstone... preferably that was to be avoided. Eli was cold, though not as chilled as he had been in the sewers.

Thank heavens for that.

* * *

"Just wait." Cal grumbled to Ben when he impatiently shifted his feet. "We have to do this carefully."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Ben sighed. Gillian and Ria were told to wait in the car, since two pretty women were going to catch attention. Not that a buffed up guy in a suit was going to keep them under the radar, but they had to make do and Reynolds was the man with the gun.

"Just...stay quiet." Cal ordered with an annoyed tone. It was obvious as to who the suspects were: there was only a few tables being used at so early in the morning, and only one seated a woman. Luck was finally starting to smile upon the trodden down team. Cal casually made his way over to the booth, and the man and woman didn't look up from their meal until he was at the edge of their table.

"Good morning, you bloody crooks." he muttered, causing them to straighten up at the sight of him. Ben was quickly beside him, his gun up and ready to shoot.

"That was your _careful_ plan?" Reynolds scoffed as he handed a set of handcuffs to Cal. Lightman glowered at the agent as he grabbed the woman to slip the cuffs around her wrists.

"Why do you carry two pairs of handcuffs?" Cal inquired, roughly pushing her forward through the diner as Reynolds did the same to the man.

"Always be prepared." Ben concluded, almost skipping with glee as they walked out with their query, catching several stares and whispers from onlookers.

"You'll never find your guy, Lightman." the woman hissed.

"I found you, didn't I?" Cal replied, smirking. As he and Ben opened the back doors, they could see that Ria and Gillian had already moved to the very back seats to make room for the culprits. The criminals were shoved in and Cal and Ben got into the car to hurry away to The Lightman Group.

"Hey, that's Mandy Casey!" Ria exclaimed, staring at the blonde female before her. "I remember her face from the database search!" Mandy glared ferociously at Cal, who was now turned in his seat to look at her.

"You were part of this all along, hm?" Cal thought aloud, not really caring that he was stating the obvious.

"How did you find us?" asked the mystery man gruffly.

"My researcher may be a bit of an idiot sometimes, but he can be surprisingly smart. He used your phone against you, called me and stuck it in your pocket; we tracked you down from the call." Cal explained, an amused smile playing on his lips. Sudden irritation and broken pride quickly sparked up on their faces at this donning of information.

"Where is he, by the way?" Cal inquired nonchalantly, boring his gaze into Mandy's eyes. He could tell that she was in charge, even though she was a woman in crime.

"I'll never tell you." she grumbled, pursing her lips angrily.

"You better, or I may have to resort to violence." he threatened. "Don't think I won't just because you're a woman. I've strangled a multi-personality woman before just to get answers." Mandy nervously examined Cal's face, looking for any signs of a jest.

"You can't do that!" the man protested, his face flushing from anger.

"Oh, I don't enforce the law." Cal stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "He does." He nodded in Ben's direction, looking almost bored by this interrogation. "I bend the law constantly in my line of work." Gillian rolled her eyes in the back of the car, but she couldn't exactly deny Cal's statement. Ria smirked, remembering several times where rules were indeed _bent_, if not broken. Lightman didn't fear the law or anything similar to it. He was only interested in answers, but he was also one for bluffs. Both of the girls suspected his threat of violence to be just another one of his lies, dressed up as a truth.

"Just wonderin': why did you shoot Loker?" Cal questioned, squinting from curiosity and tipping his head to the side. "Not that I haven't wanted to shoot the man myself, but, you know..."

"He brought it on himself." Mandy replied, looking vindictive. "He actually thought he could run away from me. Moron..." She looked down and an expression of relief fell over her guise.

"But...he almost did, didn't he?" Cal pried, trying to make sense of the look on her face. "He _almost_ got away, until you shot him, right?" Mandy shied away from him, trying to smooth over the telltale signs of someone being caught.

"Bingo." Cal grinned, clearly entertained.

"Quit messing around, Lightman." Reynolds murmured as he turned a corner. "We still have to find Eli."

* * *

"Where is Eli Loker?" Cal demanded, standing in the interrogation room with Mandy Casey seated in front of him. He was getting impatient and less congenial with each minute of her silence. Cal let out an irritated sigh.

"Did you hide him close to the diner?" He inspected her carefully, but her expression was toughened against any unexpected tweaks in her face. "How 'bout far?" The look on her face remained the same.

"Your good." he commented, strolling around the steel table in an attempt to relax the angry tingling in his nerves. "You'd have to be if you could fool Loker." Not even smugness seeped into her body language. Now that she was prepared for a Cal Lightman onslaught of questions, she was nearly impossible to read. Cal exhaled with annoyance.

"Get her partner in here." he ordered Ben, who stood on the other side of the glass, watching carefully. He rushed off to do his duty while Cal stepped out of the interrogation room and into the analysis room.

"Let's hope her partner is a bit easier to get something out of." Gillian muttered, staring at Mandy with hopelessness glistening in her eyes.

"He better be, or we'll never find Eli." Ria growled, folding her arms irritably.

"Maybe I can hire her..." Cal mumbled, gazing at Mandy thoughtfully.

"Are you kidding, Cal?" Gillian gasped, exasperated. He looked at her for a moment then glanced back at Mandy.

"No, no, you're right. She and Loker would never get along." he replied. Gillian glowered at him, appalled at his casual manner.

"Of course I'm kidding, Gill." he grumbled. "It's just a bit too...tense in here."

"Probably because we're missing a certain part of our team..." Ria muttered, saying it more to herself than her two bosses.

* * *

Eli continued to huddle in his corner, his breath becoming slow and deep as he tried to fight off the comings of sleep. At least, all this time alone allowed him to ponder. It was so odd at how miserable he thought he was when he was working two jobs, sacrificing sleep for food, and enduring an entire unpaid day of Lightman's insults. He thought _that_ was misery. Apparently, he didn't know what he was talking about; and, clearly, he didn't know what being exhausted really meant. Right now he was exhausted, since he couldn't even move a limb without eliminating a vast percentage of his remaining energy. His head was leaned against the wall, and his eyes were barely open. They _were_ barely open. Now they were completely closed, and he couldn't find enough effort within himself to change that little fact. He couldn't muster up the energy to keep himself from drifting into the comfortable, warm darkness of slumber.

* * *

"I got an idea." Cal muttered, as he looked at the man in the second interrogation room. He was trying to find the best and easiest approach to discover where Loker was hidden. "Pull up a map of D.C. out there." he ordered, then made his way into the interrogation room.

"Good morning." Cal greeted, sighing casually. The man said nothing in reply, but glared at Lightman ferociously. Even so, Cal could read the slight hint of fear within the hardened face muscles. "You're going to tell me exactly where Mr. Loker is." Cal walked over to the screen that held the map, the tiny dot of the diner sitting within the mess, and circled a good area around the small eatery.

"He's in this vicinity, isn't he?" he inquired, staring at the stranger the entire time. He caught a slight flinch and grinned. "Ah, we're getting somewhere." He nodded to the invisible Ria behind the one way glass and she zoomed in to the space Cal indicated on the map.

"Let's see here…" Cal thought aloud, gazing at the connected streets and crowded blocks of buildings. "I'd think you'd want to put him someplace a little quieter." he hummed, and looked at the man as he waved his finger in a loop over a piece of town. "Maybe here?" This time, the crook tried to keep a straight expression, but the slightest movement in his face betrayed him. Cal smiled.

"I'm on a roll." he muttered with raised eyebrows as Ria zoomed in further into the map. Cal scratched at his chin, glancing at the shifting stranger as he tried to think of another logical guess of the location.

"Here?" he prompted, pointing at the edge of the screen. No reaction. He moved his finger carefully around the map, watching the man without even a blink. There: Cal knew he had stumbled on the right spot. He looked at the map to discover where his finger had stopped.

"Huh...an old residential area." Cal murmured to himself. His finger was right over one particular house and he turned to look at the one way glass, as if telling Ria to write the address down somewhere. On the other side, Gillian was actually the one to scribble down the address as Ria related it to her, Ben waiting anxiously to leave. Cal came from the interrogation room, looking serious, and stood next to Reynolds with impatience.

"Let's go!" Gillian commanded as soon as the last letter was written down. They rushed out of the room and through the halls, sparking curiosity in the few employees coming early that morning.

Hopefully, it wasn't too late for Eli.


	13. A Rescue and a Crazed Doctor

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing involved with the television series "Lie to Me" and I won't pretend to._**

_Author's Note: Well, you guys (if there are really any of you left...), I've written quite a lengthy story here. But, alas, I fear no one reads it any longer, so I will most likely put it on permanent hiatus. I will continue it if there is even one person out there willing to send me a private message or anything to just say that you want the rest of this tale. Sure, there are probably only a few chapters left, but I'm not sure I want to put forth the effort if there are no readers. :/ If there are some readers still out there, then enjoy this next chapter and send me a word or two if you want me to continue. Thanks for reading! :)  
_

* * *

**13. **A Rescue and a Crazed Doctor

The front door flew open, being kicked in by none other than Agent Ben Reynolds.

"FBI!" he announced as he entered the premises with his weapon raised. A couple other agents followed behind him and the rest of Cal's team wandered in while the building was mostly cleared. Paramedics waited outside anxiously to be put to use. When they had the chance, they began to explore the empty house themselves. FBI dispersed throughout the home, except for the basement; but it was soon covered by Dr. Lightman and his group. Cal and company descended the stairs into a short, dark hallway, seeing a slim strip of light indicating the bottom of a doorway.

Oddly, the doorknob was brand new, still gleaming its brass color. The easily accessible lock was on the outside, indicating that this room was altered to trap in abductees. Cal twisted the lock immediately and opened the door, allowing the light inside to splash over them dramatically.

"Eli!" Gillian exclaimed, rushing past Cal to the crumpled figure in the corner. She heaved a sigh of relief when she could feel a steady, though alarmingly faint, pulse. He was cold, but still layered with sweat and his skin was pale on a dangerous level.

"Reynolds! We need paramedics!" Ria called out of the open door, her guise stitched up in worry and panic. Right, Eli had been a nuisance to her several times, but he was also a good friend.

"Eli, can you hear me?" Foster said loudly, examining the researcher's serene face. Cal crouched down beside her, seeing that Torres had handled informing the FBI of their discovery.

"Oi, Loker!" he barked, hoping for some sort of reaction. Maybe they were too late...? No, they couldn't think like that. Loker was still alive, after all; he was going to be fine. Cal studied Eli's leg wound, finding it to be fixed up rather poorly.

Paramedics shoved their way through, pushing Cal and Gillian away and beginning to tend to Eli. Eli was rushed into the ambulance and sent on his way to the hospital, leaving the rest of the team behind to finish the case. As Cal watched the ambulance go, he tightened his fists angrily and glared ahead of him. With one look, Gillian knew he was going to do something rash. Her suspicions were even more confirmed as he stormed to his own car and got in, slamming the door.

"Reynolds!" she called to the agent, who looked over just in time to watch Cal's car screech away. Immediately, he ran to his own car, Ria and Gillian following close behind. They all knew Cal was going back to The Lightman Group, and they all knew that wasn't a good thing.

* * *

Gillian hurried through the hallways, her heels clicking briskly as she went. Ria and Ben came behind her, the same anxious expressions on their faces. They were just in time to see Cal emerging from his office, something black held in his hand.

"Cal, is that a gun!?" Gillian shouted, alarmed at her business partner's sudden resorting to violence. He only glowered at her as he passed her into the cube. Ben was only a few steps behind him, obviously not going to let a man with a gun run freely. Cal grabbed Mandy around the waist, holding the gun to her head and dragging her out of the cube, shocking his coworkers. Ben continued to pursue Cal, though much more slowly, fearing that Lightman had finally snapped. Gillian and Ria only went as far as the entrance into the analysis room, frightened that they might trigger something truly horrible with another step.

Cal hauled Mandy into the second interrogation room, where the mystery man was held. The stranger stood abruptly from his seat as he saw the scientist holding a gun to his fellow collaborator's skull.

"Tell me what I want to know!" Cal yelled, looking like a crazed man as he stared wildly at the man and wrapped his arm around Mandy's neck. The crook stood stunned, unsure of what to say. Ben slipped into the room behind Cal, looking cautious.

"Who are you and who do you work for?" Lightman demanded, tightening his finger slowly around the trigger. Mandy struggled angrily against his grasp.

"Whoa, whoa, listen—" the stranger said quickly, holding his hands out in front of him fearfully.

"No, you listen! My employee is dead because of you! You answer my question or I blast the brains out of your pretty partner!" Cal warned. Ben was suddenly puzzled, since Lightman knew full well that Eli was, indeed, alive. Obviously, the quirky doctor was up to something, even if he was doing something a bit...insane. Still, Reynolds eyed the gun warily, unsure if he could really trust Lightman in this. On the other side of the glass, Ria and Gillian were also confused and came to the same conclusion as Ben: Cal was up to something.

"Who are you and who do you work for!?" Lightman pushed, giving Mandy a jerk to emphasize how important it was for the man to answer.

"I'm Zeke Corners." Zeke stated, breathing deeply. "Hey, I just add bulk to the group; I don't even hold a gun most of the time."

"Tell me who you work for." Cal pressed, ignoring Zeke's denial of his involvement. When Zeke hesitated, Cal tightened the arm around Mandy's neck, causing her to flinch. Zeke stared at Mandy and she gently shook her head, glaring at him.

"His name is—"

"No, Zeke!" Mandy shouted, shooting a vehement look at her partner. He was troubled by this, but took a deep breath and continued.

"His name is Rossini... I think it's William Rossini." Zeke answered, still holding his hands out before him. "Now, can you please put the gun away?" Cal waited, studying Zeke's face importantly.

"Alright, I believe you." he said calmly, releasing Mandy and letting the hand holding the gun fall to his side. Zeke exhaled heavily out of relief as Cal twisted around and left the room, a bewildered Agent Reynolds following behind.

"Cal, you scared the crap out of me." Gillian gasped as the interrogation room door was shut and locked.

"Eh, it was just a little bit o' fun." he muttered. "I wasn't gonna kill anyone." Ben frowned as Cal looked at the gun casually.

"Is that even loaded?" the agent inquired, glancing at the scientist's eyes.

"Nah, it was just for a scare." Cal answered, setting the weapon on the desk table as Ria searched through the database for a William Rossini.

"Then why were you so angry when you left the house?" Ben asked, ashamed that he had been tricked. Gillian and Ria smirked, already knowing the answer.

"Oh, it was just to get the right reaction outta you lot." Cal replied as he scratched the bridge of his nose. Lightman had apparently been very confidant in his plan from the beginning. But, it _did_ work, as they now had a name. Ben pondered on why the doctor hadn't tried it before to find Eli faster. Maybe he needed the criminals to believe Eli was dead to somehow strengthen the illusion that Cal was really going to shoot Mandy. Reynolds never knew with all the crazy lie detection scientists.

"Well, what if Zeke didn't care if you shot Mandy or not?" Ben asked, still new to this whole lie detection business.

"Oh, he cared." Cal replied, grinning.

"Zeke showed signs of affection for Mandy: he likes her...a lot. He wouldn't let anything happen to her." Ria murmured as she continued to stare at the computer screen. Ben shrugged as he raised his eyebrows. Whatever they said, he knew it would be stupid to deny. He'd at least been around long enough to understand _that_.

"Watch my gun, will ya, Gill?" Cal muttered, spreading a flabbergasted expression across Foster's face. He pushed his way back into the interrogation room where Zeke was currently trying to reconcile with Mandy.

"Now," he began, pacing around the room, the two crooks watching him carefully. "since your so privy to the plans of this...'boss' of yours, why don't you tell me what business he had with Loker?"

"I would never tell you." Mandy snarled, turning back to Zeke to glare at him.

"Oh, what? You think Mr. Rossini is going to welcome you back with open arms?" Cal said in a high pitched voice. Mandy looked confused, as did Zeke behind her. "When the FBI show up at his door, who is he going to suspect let his name slip?" Cal pointed out. Mandy's countenance fell to that of one cursed by a plague. Lightman leaned on the metal table with his hands.

"You're not held back by loyalty anymore, and if you tell me what I want to know, then maybe..._maybe_ I can cut you a deal, even if it's a small one." Zeke looked appalled that for what he gave the doctor, he would hardly get any rewards.

"You hardly deserve an hour off your sentence!" Cal voiced. Mandy heaved a deep breath and looked at Zeke momentarily.

"Fine, we'll tell you."

* * *

_Author's Note: Reviews? Anybody, please?_


	14. Peace Shows its Pretty Face

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing involved with the television series "Lie to Me" and I won't pretend to.**_

_Author's Note: Alright, alright, I decided to finish off the story. The last chapters are going to be slow, but it is basically the end of the tale. Thanks so much, everybody, for all the feedback! I honestly didn't expect that many replies! :D I'm so glad there really are invisible peoples reading my story! Just kidding... You are all very important readers, no one is invisible. :P Still, thank you, thank you, thank you. :) I'm sorry if you find the last couple of chapters lame... but at least there will be an ending and you'll know what happened to Mr. Eli Loker. :) Thanks for reading! Only one more chapter after this one!  
_

* * *

**14. Peace Showing its Pretty Face**

"Why is William Rossini so interested in Loker?" Cal asked, seating himself down for a tale. Mandy and Zeke plopped into chairs of their own, looking disdainful, but not quite reluctant.

"I trust you know who McKinree is." Mandy stated.

"Well, I don't know him personally, but I've heard the name." Cal replied, shrugging.

"McKinree sent some of his boys to kill a man, but when your guy, Loker or whatever, starting snooping around, my boss told him to clean up his mess." Mandy started, but was stopped when Cal raised a hand faintly.

"How did Rossini know Loker was investigating?" he inquired.

"Rossini temporarily placed me under McKinree without McKinree's knowledge. I took up the job at the convenience store to ensure Peppers and Finster weren't caught doing the deed. But, the guy they stole a car from wouldn't let it go, so he brought in another friend to interrogate me: Loker. I didn't exactly expect them to just walk in that day, and I didn't expect to see a lie detection expert with them either." Mandy explained.

"How did you know he was a lie detection expert?" Cal queried, hardly letting the girl complete her story.

"We know about you and your little team." she growled. "We make it our business to know who threatens our organization." Cal nodded, allowing her to continue.

"Anyway," she spat. "I told Loker some truths to make him go away and ensure the image of my innocence; I didn't exactly suppose he'd keep at his investigation. I half expected he would get bored and would leave it alone. But, after a week, Rossini started to get a little nervous and that's when he ordered McKinree to get rid of Loker.

"Of course, McKinree always has to have his fun, so he held onto the brat to question him and cause him a little misery." Gillian and Ria pulled their eyebrows together at this statement, not wanting to imagine Eli's first experience in captivity. "If he'd killed him pretty quick and dealt with the body, we probably wouldn't be in this mess." Cal kept a straight face, despite the rage swirling within him. Mandy shook her head, signaling she was extremely irritated with McKinree and his cronies.

"When Rossini found out Peppers and Finster were under police custody, he was pretty angry." Zeke added. "He didn't want them to let anything slip, so he sent Mandy and me to kidnap your guy to force you to release Peppers and Finster and take McKinree off your radar."

"And...Rossini was going to forgive them just like that?" Cal inquired.

"Oh, we take care of our own, like most groups similar to ours." Mandy informed him, a violent gleam in her eye. The team on the other side of the glass shuddered at what she implied. They all would much rather be in the waiting room of the hospital than here, staring at two murderers and abductors. But, they couldn't just push this away until later. Eli wouldn't be out of danger until they had McKinree and Rossini.

Cal stood and made his way back to the room exit, his curiosity quenched while his heart was sick with fury and disgust, as well as sorrow. Eli was no more than a rag doll to these despicable creatures, being tossed between each other and treated like a possession they could poke with needles and wipe the counter with.

"You're a couple of twisted lunatics." Cal muttered as he pulled the door open and left them alone again. Promptly, he shut and locked the door, running a hand through his hair as he wore a bothered expression on his face. He thought that once Eli was found and known to be alive, this uncomfortable feeling would go away, but it clung to him like a persistent leech. The air was thick with an uncomfortable, serious feeling and he didn't like it. Cal wasn't the most cheery person, but he still appreciated humor and he still hated heavy, ominous feelings.

"I've got an address." Ria related happily, jotting the info down and handing it to Ben, who rushed off with a phone quickly brought to his ear. Lightman followed, eager to distract himself from the anxious feeling in his gut.

Gillian and Ria were left, staring at the two crooks in the interrogation room: Mandy pouting and Zeke looking apologetic. It was about time to call in one of Ben's agents to watch the culprits, then the two women could rush off to the hospital.

* * *

William Rossini smirked as he took a sip of his red wine. His velvet, cushy chair helped sooth his tight muscles, as did the dead body of his most annoying henchman. Unfortunately, he had to do the task himself, since his usual killers were absent dealing with that wretched Eli Loker. There were only two bodyguards at the gate to his home, but he didn't expect any hostile company that night. Mandy and Zeke were probably having smooth success. It was a bit troubling that Mandy had to shoot the kid before they had planned his death, but he would live long enough to serve their purpose.

There was a sound of a door slamming downstairs.

"FBI!" shouted a deep, male voice, echoing around the house. William sighed; his little team hadn't been very lucky. Great. Now he was going to prison. Although, there wasn't much he could do about it; so, he might as well finish off this glass of wine.

He'd somewhat expected this, but after living well for thirty years, he thought it was about time for him to get caught. Besides, he never said he didn't have a plan for his escape from prison. Thirty years is a long time to prepare a way out of captivity.

"Don't move!" demanded the voice beside him. He didn't have to look to know there was a gun aimed in his direction.

"Lightman, it's McKinree." Agent Reynolds mumbled as he held up a wallet with a driver's liscense tucked neatly behind clear plastic. "He's dead." Rossini watched carefully as Dr. Lightman headed towards the body and stood by it, looking as though he was pondering the case carefully.

"Hey, what about him?" voiced the agent pointing his weapon at Rossini.

"Cuff him." Reynolds ordered, looking angrily at the mob boss. The agent obeyed, taking out his handcuffs and urging Rossini to stand. William set down his class of wine and stood up fluidly, a smug smile on his face. He'd at least been able to finish one last thing before his arrest: the murder of McKinree, who was the cause for his sudden failure in getting away with crime.

"You have the right to remain silent," the agent said clearly as he slapped the handcuffs on tightly. "Everything you say can and will be used against you…" Cal's hearing seemed to disappear for a moment as he realized that this case was nearly over. The danger was over, for the most part. Eli was safe, his team was safe, and they had caught a mob boss. The englishman was finally relieved of the tight feeling in his chest.

"Reynolds?" he called to the agent who was organizing everything for the murder site. Ben quickly finished handing out commands and came over to Cal.

"What is it, Lightman?" he inquired, slowly observing the dead body and the lack of struggle around it.

"It's about time we visit Loker." Cal answered, his hands in his pockets casually.

* * *

Gillian and Ria sat anxiously in the waiting room when Cal and Ben came through the glass doors.

"How's he doing?" Lightman asked, snapping Foster out of her thoughts.

"He's in surgery." she replied. "The paramedic that helped him assured me he was going to be alright." She smiled, obviously still worried. Of course, they were all still a little uneasy, but most of the stress was lifted when Ben announced the capture of William Rossini and the death of McKinree. Now it was all coffee and questioning hospital staff from here.

* * *

Eli's mind was all in a jumble. His vision had just come back and it persistently focused on the red abyss of his eyelids. The sounds around him started to become more articulate and he could hear a group of familiar voices whispering. The last thing he remembered was sitting alone in that basement room, struggling to keep awake; he must've fallen asleep. He groaned as his body realized he was feeling pain in his leg, as if a sharp stick was shoved into his thigh: it hurt.

"Loker?" Ria inquired, her voice coming closer. His eyes snapped open, then blinked repeatedly against the blinding white and passing fit of sleep.

"He seems kind of dazed...do you think he got brain damage or something?" Ria whispered frantically, but Eli could only see her outline.

"How could he possibly get brain damage if he already has it?" Cal mumbled.

"He's probably drugged up or something." Ben interjected.

"Or maybe he's recovering from a _traumatic _experience." Gillian hissed. "Quiet, we don't want to overwhelm him."

"Oh, you call standing around his bed like a crew of vultures _not_ overwhelming?" Cal replied, furrowing his eyebrows. Eli's vision began to clear and he could see the more defined features of his coworkers' faces. He noticed they all looked exhausted, and their eyes were bloodshot, like they'd been living off of a coffee supply.

"You guys look like crap." he croaked, smirking wearily.

"You're one to talk..." Ria murmured defensively. Gillian shot her a look, as if Eli was a fragile piece of glass stemware that she was trying to protect.

"I'd rather not know." Eli chuckled weakly. He gulped, his throat and mouth dry as his muscles moaned with soreness. "It's just nice to be lying in such a soft bed..." He sighed with contentment and closed his eyes for a moment.

"It's good to be alive." he stated, smiling gently.

"How do you feel?" Gillian asked sweetly, her motherly side seeping through.

"Tired." Eli answered immediately, his eyes opening with raised eyebrows. "I feel like I haven't slept much for the last couple of days." The team pondered this for a moment, smiling at each other.

"You haven't." Cal told him flatly.

"Then, there you go; perfect sense." Eli responded, smirking a little as he adjusted his position. The team couldn't help but laugh quietly; they were at a happiness high from Eli's wellness.

"Here's a question: how come you guys keep waiting until the very last minute to save me?" Eli teased, shifting again to gain a comfortable position and sit up a little more.

"At least we saved you." Cal taunted, grinning mischievously. Eli's face fell into a faint scowl, spreading an amused smile across Cal's face. "We wouldn't have to save you if you didn't keep looking for trouble."

"Maybe trouble is attracted to me; how could I know?" Eli said, shrugging tiredly. Ben, Ria and Gillian grinned while Cal gazed at him with a straight face. After a short while, even he couldn't keep so composed and his guise broke out into a smile.

"You are one of a kind, Mr. Loker." Cal muttered.

"Ah, so I'm irreplaceable." Eli concluded in a soft voice, but a playful smirk was plastered on his pale face. "You missed me."

"I did not say that." Cal disagreed immediately.

"But you implied it." Loker pointed out, still smiling.

"I did not! I said—"

"You implied it."

"No, I didn't—"

"—implied—"

"—no way—"

"—can't deny it—"

"Stop you two!" Gillian exclaimed, though it was mixed with a giggle. "You both argue like an old married couple." Loker wore a puzzled expression while Cal squinted and leaned his head to the side.

"Well, that'd be weird." Eli observed, raising his eyebrows.

"Aye, definitely odd." Cal agreed.

"We'd be divorced way before our golden years: we just don't...connect." Eli joked. "I think he's a bit too grumpy for me."

"And he's too much of an idiot." Cal added, pointing and Loker with his thumb. The team chuckled and shook their heads as they looked at the two.

"Oh, go home, you guys." Loker ordered wearily, nestling into his pillow. "You people look horrible; get some sleep."

"He's probably right." Gillian seconded, looking between her coworkers.

"Alright, I'm not complaining." Cal mumbled, turning to shuffle out of the room. "See ya, Loker."

"I hope you feel better soon." Ria said, also leaving, Ben following behind.

"Have a great night in the hospital." Reynolds chuckled as he walked, then stopped to twist his head behind him.

"You comin', Foster?" he inquired.

"In a minute; I can take my own car." she answered with a smile. Eli stiffened, frightened of what Gillian was going to do. She was an expert in psychology and she was plenty caring to make up for Cal's lack of compassion. Those two traits could make a fearful combination for a radically honest guy who just didn't want to talk about his traumas.

"Without the joking front; are you really okay?" she probed, linking her hands together in front of her as she placed a soft expression on her face. Eli smiled sorrowfully.

"I will be." he assured her.

* * *

_Author's Note: Reviews, please? :)_


	15. Loneliness Attracts Company

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing involved with the television series "Lie to Me" and I won't pretend to.**_

_Author's Note: Oh my word! This story has come to an end.... :( Actually, I'm not really sure this is the perfect ending, but I hope it's still more than satisfactory. XD Thank you all so much for reading my story; I am so happy I got all those reviews! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! You know, a story is nothing without the readers. :) Please review! On the story as a whole if you wish. ;P  
_

* * *

**15. Loneliness Attracts Company**

The Lightman Group employees tried not to stare as the crutches tapped the polished floor. The lean figure hobbled along, smiling at everyone he met.

"Oh, good morning, Loker!" Gillian greeted happily, stopping in the hallway briefly to give him a proper smile. "I've gotta run; we're back on the embezzling case and I have a meeting to go to...But, I definitely want to talk to you when I get the chance!"

"Don't worry, I won't be going anywhere too quickly." Eli laughed, continuing on as she rushed to the conference room.

Work held bad memories for him, especially the office he headed to now: Lightman's. He almost cringed from the idea of having to step back into the same room he was abducted from; but, in due time, he may be able to get over his discomfort.

"Loker!" Cal exclaimed in surprise when he saw the crutch-laden young man standing in his office. Eli paused to gaze around the room, his stare settling on the dent in the wall. Other than that, there weren't any signs of his abduction.

"Oi, what is that?" Cal inquired, pointing at the dent. "Why is there a dent in my wall?"

"That's, uh..." Eli gulped and cleared his throat. It didn't take any of Cal's special talent to see that Eli was having difficulty reciting the answer and instantly regretted the question. "That's where they...uh...shoved my head against the wall." Eli finished, coughing quietly and moving closer to Lightman's desk.

"Ummm, so I've been gone for awhile and I'm wondering if you have a place for me in a case somewhere." Eli said. "Any videos to analyze or maybe a recorded voice?"

"Oh, yeah, I've got loads for you to do." Cal answered with a nearly evil grin. "You're lab guys will update you."

"Oki doki." Eli voiced, nodding. He was just about to turn away to exit when Cal stopped him.

"Loker, wait." he ordered with a sigh, pulling open a drawer to remove a pen and a little book. Eli looked around the office for the second time, trying to skip the dimple in the wall entirely.

"Why don't you actually feed yourself, huh?" Cal muttered, handing Eli a check. "And take some time off that stupid second job of yours." Eli stared at the check with disbelief before he slowly took it in his hand.

"Don't you dare think this means you're on the payroll again." Cal threatened.

"Thank you so much." Eli replied, staring at the figures on the check. "Really, Lightman, this is great."

"Bah, it's nothing." Cal responded, swatting away Eli's thanks. "Get out of here before I decide to take it back." Eli smirked and gathered himself together, gripping the crutches and exiting the office in a shuffle. Lightman watched him go with some pity flooding his heart. He really did not foresee the young employee coming back to work so soon. He wasn't getting paid by coming in, and he couldn't possibly think that Cal wasn't going to allow more vacation time. Perhaps that was just how Eli was: he never really complained, and, despite his lazy demeanor, he could be a hard worker. The fact he had two jobs and was stubbornly holding onto this one _proved_ that. Cal turned to stare out the window of his office.

Did he really have to feel so guilty?

* * *

"Oh my gosh, Loker!" Ria blurted, startled when she turned her chair to see her coworker standing before her. He cocked his head to the side, an amused smile on his face.

"Good morning to you too." he teased, hobbling past her to his desk.

"What are you doing at work?" she asked, her brow stitching up in confusion.

"What does it look like? I'm working." he answered as he eased into his swivel chair, carefully leaning his crutches against the desk. "Hey Doug." he greeted to the other young man he shared the work space with. Doug was just walking in and looked as puzzled as Ria to see Eli in the room.

"Hey...?" Doug replied, taking a seat at his desk.

"How's your leg?" Ria inquired, oblivious to the small interaction between the two men.

"Uh...psshhhh...it hurts. But, nerves do tend to be nudged by a bullet." Eli sighed, logging onto his computer. "It's not going to get in the way with my job."

"I'm not worried if it'll get in the way of your job," Ria scolded. "I'm worried that coming to work will be too much for you to handle right now." Eli exhaled irritably, looking over at her. Doug sat uncomfortably at his desk, stiffly trying not to draw attention to himself.

"Trust me: it's a lot better for me to come to work than sit at home by myself." he muttered. Ria opened her mouth to reply, but Eli abruptly turned to Doug.

"Yo, Doug. Lightman told me you would update me on what work we've got to do." he relayed, slouching further into his seat.

"Uh, yeah." Doug replied and quickly began to go over the chores of The Lightman Group.

Ria wasn't sure if she ever saw Eli deliberately change a subject so quickly.

* * *

Gillian smirked as she traveled down the hallway. Before Eli's case, Mr. Williamson had been a rather difficult and demanding client, not that she was going to say something about it. Now, he was surprisingly congenial. Cal's lecture must've been enough to knock the man in place. Now...to find Eli...

"Oh, hey, love." she heard, pausing in her step as she looked towards Cal. "Did you see that Loker was in today?"

"Yeah, yeah, I saw him. I'm going to talk to him right now, actually." she informed him.

"Huh. He went off to his desk to work. Make sure he's alright, 'kay?" Cal muttered. Gillian grinned and searched Lightman's guise.

"Are you worried about him?" she teased, nearly giggling.

"No, no, I just don't want him to slow our work down." Cal answered quickly, stalking away to an unknown location. Gillian continued to smile, then headed off to see Eli.

* * *

Eli could almost feel Ria's stare burn into him. He tried ignoring it, but it was increasingly more difficult to do so. When you work somewhere the employees study human behavior and expressions for a living, you have every right to be nervous when the natural lie detector is boring her gaze right into you. She was trying to analyze him, and he knew it. Doug chose not to get involved and kept to his own tasks diligently.

The door clicked open and the familiar confident click of heels came into the room.

"Loker?" the one and only Gillian Foster said. Eli slowly swiveled in his chair to look at her.

"Anything I can do for ya, Dr. Foster?" he inquired, but Ria could plainly see the discomfort on his face.

"Come on, let's go to my office and have a chat." Gillian urged compassionately. Eli slowly turned back to his desk to collect his crutches, the dread painting itself onto his features. His muscles tightened in pain as he lifted himself up from the chair to nestle into the support of the crutches.

"I'll be right behind you." Eli replied, heading towards the door. Ria and Doug watched him go, unsure of what to think of it.

"Why are you doing this, Foster?" Eli growled, now out of earshot of any other employees. She was walking slower than usual so he could keep up.

"Because we all care about you, and we don't understand why you're coming to work so soon after the...incident." she answered. Eli cringed he was reminded of the two most horrific days of his life. "It's only been a week, Loker, and you're barely out of the hospital!"

"Yeah, well, can't a guy just come to work?" he murmured. He was annoyed by everyone's excessive concern; even so, it wasn't about to drive him away from this place. Lightman had told him to take a break from his second job, though Eli was planning to from the beginning. Even here, no one could really see his intentions behind coming to work, but they could see he was still recovering from the trauma. Loker just didn't want to be alone. Everything horrendous that had happened to him in those two days occurred when he was alone and split off from the rest of his team. He felt safer in the presence of others, and it was worth the throbbing pain in his leg and the irritating questions after his well-being. He was too frightened to go to the call center job, since he didn't want to go anywhere at night. Eli wished to talk to Foster, but he also didn't want to. What if it changed their relationship? What if she started to treat him differently? He didn't want that; he just wanted everything to be the way it used to be.

"Just...take a seat." Gillian ordered softly, welcoming him into her office. He staggered past her and she proceeded to shut the door. She walked to her desk and seated herself down as Eli slowly lowered himself into his chair.

"Why aren't you home resting that leg of yours?" Gillian asked, seriousness in her tone.

"Maybe I'm antsy." he joked, smirking. She shot him a scowl, then concentrated on reading his features.

"No, Loker; why are you really here?" she probed. "Are you even ready to handle being surrounded by this many people?"

"Phew, believe me, I'm more than ready to be _smothered_ by people." he grumbled, then flinched with regret. Gillian caught the small micro expression. Eli's unusually withholding tongue slipped, and she knew it.

"You're here to be around people?" she inquired, pushing for a better answer. He looked at her with defiance, unwilling to open his mouth again. She didn't need him to talk to know how he felt; that was the beauty of her job.

"You don't want to be alone?" she clarified, scanning his guise thoroughly. Eli glanced away, having his secret exposed by a simple sentence and the telltale signs on his face. Gillian sighed sorrowfully, trying to again catch the gaze of the young researcher.

"Look, we want to help you, but we have to know how to." Gillian said, attempting to persuade Eli to speak his mind.

"I don't want any help, Foster. I just want to be treated normally." he spat. She was startled by his response, not used to Eli speaking so vehemently.

"You're going to have to get used to it." she replied gently. "Until we know you're okay, we can't just leave you alone. It'll be better if we help you; trust me." Eli looked as if he relaxed a little and her heart leapt at the chance to get past his barrier. "Why are you here?"

"You're right: I don't want to be alone." he sighed. "It still scares me; so I come to work to be around people. It makes me feel better, alright?" He obviously didn't like talking about it, as his body language screamed discomfort. Gillian smiled while Eli looked up at her.

"See? That wasn't so bad." she chuckled. There was a knock on the door just before the door opened to reveal Dr. Cal Lightman.

"Did you get the truth out of 'im yet?" he murmured as he strode in.

"Just barely." Gillian answered, staring at Eli.

"And?" Cal urged, impatient. "What's his problem?"

"I don't want to be alone." Loker blurted, irritated. "I was waiting for Foster to somehow analyze my statement in some psychological way until you completely interrupted it."

"Alone? Is that it?" Lightman responded, squinting.

"Yeah, that's just about all of it in a nutshell." Loker muttered, pursing his lips. Gillian smirked to herself as she watched the two interact.

"If that's all, you can at least stay the night at my house." Cal offered. Eli was stunned by the suggestion and speechless by Lightman's act of kindness. _Kindness_, coming from _Cal Lightman_. Truly, this was a rare event. Eli's pride told him to refuse the proposal of help, but his fears told him the opposite. For a moment, he struggled within himself to find the answer.

"That would actually be very much appreciated." Eli finally decided.

"Alright good, I'll drive you to my place after work." Cal confirmed, walking out of Foster's office casually like he let his researchers crash at his house all the time.

"Even Cal's worried about you." Gillian chuckled while she watched her business partner return to his own office.

"Wait...what just happened?" Eli muttered.

* * *

Cal didn't even know what he was doing. He wasn't used to holding out a helping hand; so, why was he doing? It must've been Eli's case. Somehow it made him realize just how much his team meant to him. He couldn't deny it. When Emily was at her mum's throughout the week, what was Cal left with? His team, of course, and they were much a part of his family as Emily was. With what they dealt with and what they've been through, they were as close as any family. Where else could Loker pull off his bizarre freedom of speech? Where else could Torres defy her boss and still, somehow, get away with it? Frankly, Cal thought he was too forgiving with them, but...that was okay. In the end, they were invaluable pieces to his life and they meant something. To forgive a little here and there was but a fraction of what he should do for them.

* * *

"You ready, Loker?" Cal asked as he peeked into the room. Eli sat at his desk with his bad leg elevated and Ria sitting near him as they analyzed videos. Eli looked up as his boss addressed him and immediately began to collect his things.

"Uh...yeah, just give me a minute." he mumbled, carefully removing his leg from the desk. Ria looked around herself, puzzled.

"Wait, what's going on?" she inquired.

"I'm...uh...staying at Lightman's tonight." Eli confessed, a little bit embarrassed by the fact. He grabbed his crutches and eased himself to an upright position.

"_What_?" Ria demanded, sitting up straighter from the shock.

"Yeah, I don't think he should be alone." Cal told her nonchalantly. He held the door open as Eli hobbled by. Ria could only stare after the two of them, stunned at this event. The two men left her gaping, both wearing amused grins at her reaction.

"Emily's awaiting our return with some sort of...special spaghetti." Cal informed his employee. "I told her it was a bit late for that sort of thing, but she insisted so..." Cal's body language implied "eat it or it might hurt her feelings." Eli couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

"Don't worry, I am kind of hungry." he replied as they both exited the office.

Eli had nothing to worry about; he had friends to keep him company through his troubled time.

He wasn't alone.

_The End._

_

* * *

Author's Note: There it was....the end. :( Again, thanks for reading and please leave some last reviews! Xo_


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